BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

16/07/2008

Spokesman for Russia-Belarus Union State: Georgia can join the Union State as well

Transdnestr, Abkhazia and South Ossetia can join the Union State of Russia and Belarus, a spokesman for the Union State administration Ivan Makushok informed a Regnum correspondent today on July 15.

"The treaty signed in 1999 on establishing the Union State provided an opportunity of joining it by any other country, being an international entity and sharing aims and foundations of our union and take in full all commitments, arising from this treaty. Any state which is an international entity, including, by the way, Georgia can join the Union treaty, by entering de jure the Union State," the official noted.

"This does not mean that Abkhazia and South Ossetia will join Russia, what the Georgian side enviously meant. An example of it is Belarus, which being an international entity decided on its own with whom it would develop friendly or integration relationships," Makushok stressed.

"The first step is obtaining a permanent observer status. This institution is provided by the regulation of the parliamentary assembly of the Union State of Russia and Belarus. Any state, which is an international entity, has an opportunity to join the Union State," the spokesman of the Union State informed.

"We discussed this with the president of Transdnestr, talked to the authorities of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. When the matter concerned membership to the Union State, a lot of states with different status interested in it. The subject of Kosovo caused this interest," the official marked.

Answering a question of a Regnum correspondent, if it was possible that unrecognized republics would join the Union State in their current status, Makushok said: "The entry of this kind is not provided. But the steps towards a special status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as you know, are being taken. Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transdnestr determined their way. Transdnestr president, Igor Smirnov stated directly, if a referendum wasto be held in Transdnestr, about ninety percent would vote for the membership. "We want to enter the fraternal Union and we are ready to do this. Above all Russia and Belarus would do this," - the president of Transdniestria said. In other words, unrecognized republics see their future in the Union State. Thus this project will prove its effectiveness," Makushok states.

"Undoubtedly, these states should become independent to enter the Union of Russia and Belarus. But I repeat that Transdnestr, Abkhazia, South Ossetia in their independence want to enter the Federal state where Russia is an equitable member," Ivan Makushok summarized.

Source:

http://www.regnum.ru/english/1027897.html

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