Georgia's Foreign Minister returns Russian citizenship

Georgia's Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze has returned his Russian citizenship, in response to a motion in the State Duma, the lower house of Russian Parliament, which called for him be stripped of his passport. The motion had accused Vashadze of sowing anti-Russian sentiment in wake of the conflict between Russia and former Soviet Republic of Georgia last year. Vashadze, who held joint Russian-Georgian citizenship, had been highly critical of Moscow's action. In the event the motion was not passed, it was seen as flouting the Russian constitution. Vashadze, a former Soviet diplomat, told reporters the Russian parliament had been ''a bit late'' as he had already written to President Dmitry Medvedev giving up his citizenship. ''I put it in an envelope with the passport and sent it,'' he said adding ''With this, my Russian citizenship is finished.'' Vashadze's Russian citizenship stems from a period working in the Soviet Foreign Ministry between 1980 and 1988. His appointment as Georgian Foreign Minister had been seen as an attempt to repair relations between Russia and Georgia, shattered by the five-day war in August 2008.

The conflict followed rising tension over the disputed territory of South Ossetia, which Russia has since recognised as independent from Georgia. Vashadze's wife, Nino Ananiashvili, a former prima ballerina with the Bolshoi ballet company, remains a Russian citizen. She is currently the artistic director of the ballet in Tbilisi, Georgia's capital.

Meanwhile, the Belarusian parliament is to consider next week the recognition of the two former Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the head of the presidential administration Vladimir Makei said today.

''Next week, the parliament will begin considering the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,'' Mr Makei told RIA Novosti.

He added Belarusian lawmakers were to visit the republics in order ''to study the situation''.

Russia recognised the two republics shortly after a five-day war with Georgia in August 2008 that began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia in an attempt to bring it back under central control. Abkhazia and South Ossetia have also been recognised by Nicaragua and Venezuela.

-- (UNI) -- 05DF4.xml

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