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Saakashvili warns of more territorial conflicts involving Russia
Sep 7, 2008, 15:45 GMT
Prague - Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose country had a brief war with Russia last month, warned Sunday that Moscow could trigger more armed conflicts in the former Soviet territories.
In an interview with public broadcaster Czech Television, Saakashvili said a potential flashpoint is the politically tense Crimean peninsula on the Black Sea, which is part of Ukraine.
'Russia has already distributed more passports in the Crimea' than in the Georgian breakaway provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Saakashvili said. 'I think we should not be blind.'
Crimea, a popular Soviet-era tourist destination, hosts a Russian naval base.
Tensions remain high after Russian and Georgian forces clashed in South Ossetia in early August.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy, whose country holds the rotating European Union presidency, is due to hold talks in Moscow on Monday, aimed at getting the Kremlin to pull its troops out of Georgia.
Despite Western criticism, Moscow recently recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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