MOSCOW. June 1 (Interfax-AVN) - The leaderships of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have argued there is no need to call referenda in the two Georgian breakaway regions to seek approval of their current de facto independence.
"South Ossetia held a referendum on the independence of the republic in January 1991, at which 99.9% of the population voted for independence. We do not question the results of that referendum and do not intend to hold a repeat referendum, which would take the republic back 15 years," South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity told Interfax on Wednesday.
"South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared their independence back in the 90s, and thereby 15 years ago we traversed the path that Montenegro and Kosovo are following now," he said.
"The 1991 referendum in South Ossetia met all international standards and should be recognized by the international community," Kokoity said.
A source in the Abkhaz president's office told Interfax: "Under its constitution, Abkhazia is an independent state, and there is no need to confirm this at a referendum once again."