Acting de facto president of breakaway Abkhazia, Valery Bganba, sent letters to presidents of Belarus and Kazakhstan, Alexander Lukashenko and Nursultan Nazarbayev, respectively, requesting them to recognize “sovereignty and independence of the Republic of Abkhazia.”

The letters underline that Sokhumi wants to “contribute” to the integration processes within the Russian-led Eurasian Union.

“We follow closely dynamics of integration between the Republic of Belarus, the Russian Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan and we hope that [these three states] will appreciate Abkhazia’s aspiration to contribute to the integration processes and over time our state will be able to participate in the building of the Eurasian Union,” says Bganba, who is speaker of the breakaway region’s parliament, in his letters.
 
Parliament of the breakaway region has also appealed legislative bodies of Belarus and Kazakhstan for recognition.

Abkhazia is now recognized by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela and Nauru.