The European Union voiced concern on Monday at signs that Russia and its allies may be preparing to recognise Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia, weeks after Kosovo's Western-backed secession from Serbia, Reuters reported. Moscow dropped formal trade restrictions on the rebel region on Thursday, prompting the pro-Western Georgian government to accuse the Kremlin of trying to destabilise the Caucasus region. "Georgia is a point of concern for us, because the Russian Federation and the Confederation of Independent States decided to draw certain parallels with Kosovo on this issue," Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel told a news conference after chairing a meeting of EU foreign ministers. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, while stressing that such an outcome was hypothetical at this stage, raised concerns about the dropping of trade restrictions being followed by an influx of Russian investment into the territory. "That could look like a de facto annexation and that would be a matter of great concern if it were the case," said Bildt. EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said he had discussed the issue at length by telephone with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili during the weekend. Asked what action the 27-nation bloc could take, he said: "What we can do now is to support what the president is doing, continue to bring Georgia closer to the EU through the mechanisms that are in place already and be prepared to listen to what he says."
