MOSCOW, October 23 (RIA Novosti) - Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov has ordered the city government to send humanitarian aid to the former Georgian republic of Abkhazia, a municipal administration source said on Friday.
Russia recognized Abkhazia and another former Georgian republic, South Ossetia, as independent after a five-day war over the latter with Georgia last August.
Moscow will deliver office equipment, computers and electrical equipment, cables and car tires to Abkhazia.
The Russian city will also give Abkhazia a used rescue vehicle, an ambulance and some laboratory and medicinal equipment.
Luzhkov allocated 1.2 million rubles ($41,000) for the delivery of the cargo and customs clearance.
Last summer, the Moscow mayor suggested Georgia recognize the independence of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia, referring to what he described as the inevitable drive for sovereignty in Europe and globally.
A previous call for Russia to reclaim Sevastopol, the main base for Russia's Black Sea Fleet, from Ukraine earned him the status of persona non grata in the former Soviet republic. Moscow's City Hall has invested budget funds on cultural projects in Crimea, which has a predominantly Russian population.
