The head of the Lugansk People's Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, signed a decree recognizing the Republic of Abkhazia as an independent and sovereign state.
"I decree: to recognize the Republic of Abkhazia as the sovereign and independent state," reads the text of Pasechnik's decree published on his official website.
The document also states that Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the LPR was instructed to conduct negotiations with the Abkhaz party on the establishment of diplomatic relations, as well as on the preparation of a draft treaty of friendship and cooperation between the republics.
On February 25, President of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhaniya signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk and the Lugansk People's Republics. On March 9, the DPR established diplomatic relations with Abkhazia.
On Thursday, Abkhazia established diplomatic relations with the Lugansk People's Republic, and a draft treaty of friendship and cooperation between the republics is currently being prepared, the press service of the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry reports.
"On March 10, 2022, the Republic of Abkhazia and the Luhansk People's Republic established diplomatic relations through the exchange of notes. Currently, a draft interstate treaty of friendship and cooperation is being prepared, which will become the foundation for the further formation of a legal framework between the Republic of Abkhazia and the Lugansk People's Republic," the message says.
It is clarified that the republics support Russia's course aimed at the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.
"The Republic of Abkhazia and the Lugansk People's Republic support the aspirations to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two peoples, strive to promote the building-up of peaceful and equal relations and are guided by the intention to develop interaction in the interests of the peoples of the two states based on mutual respect for independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity and other generally recognized principles and norms of international law, primarily the Charter of the United Nations," the Ministry said.
