Abkhazia President Sergei Bagapsh dies at 62 [ May 29, 2011 ]

BBC News ^ | May 29, 2011 | unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Sergei Bagapsh, president of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia, has died aged 62, Abkhaz officials say. They say he passed away in a Moscow hospital from complications following recent lung surgery. Mr Bagapsh won his second five-year term in 2009. Georgia denounced the elections as "illegitimate". Since its brief war with Georgia in 2008 over another disputed territory, South Ossetia, Russia has provided security for Abkhazia. Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in 1992, but is only recognised by Moscow and a handful of other countries. Abkhaz officials say Vice-President Alexander Ankvab will be acting leader. Russia sent forces into the two breakaway regions in a brief war in August 2008. Thousands of ethnic Georgians fled the regions during the conflict and many remain internally displaced in Georgia. In 2008, Western countries condemned Russia for penetrating deep into Georgia, beyond the conflict zones. Russia later pulled its forces back to the two regions.

[SunkenCiv]

Sergei Bagapsh site:freerepublic.com

Google

[SunkenCiv]

This happened in May, but not been posted that I could find. The local PBS station has an agitprop “news” program on Sundays, and they mentioned it, and I thought it was current news; figure there’s some reason they brought it up, and that the other shoe will drop.

[Nick Danger]

As hard as I try to keep up on these things, I confess I had no idea that Sergei Bagapsh had been elected president of Abkhazia. Now he’s gone, and I never even had a chance to congratulate him.

[Tax-chick]

You could send a card to Alexander Ankvab, but it’s possible that he died or was ousted in July, and we just haven’t heard about it.

Abkhazia sounds like P.J. O’Rourke made it up.

[SunkenCiv]

;’)