Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia following a bloody conflict in the early 1990s. Russia helped the warring parties reach a ceasefire agreement, and has since led a post-Soviet CIS peacekeeping contingent in the region.
"Given the desire of the absolute majority of the Abkhazian population to link their lives to Russia, as evidenced from the fact that more than 90% of Abkhazian residents have Russian citizenship, the People's Assembly of Abkhazia requests that the Russian leadership recognizes the republic's independence and establishes associated membership relations with it," the parliament said.
The parliament said that the 13-year postwar period has shown the viability of Abkhazia as a de-facto independent state, and that its sovereignty has only to be acknowledged internationally.
On Tuesday, Abkhazia announced it will conduct a military exercise October 23-26 to practice repelling an enemy attack. The decision came following the Georgian president's appeal to fellow Georgians living in Russia to return to help rebuild Abkhazia.
"We are prepared to return to Abkhazia, and we need your help in rebuilding the country," said U.S.-educated Mikheil Saakashvili, who has pledged to bring Abkhazia and the other self-proclaimed Georgian republic of South Ossetia, back under Tbilisi's control.
In late July, Georgia sent troops into the Kodori Gorge, controlled both by Tbilisi and Abkhazia, calling it a police operation to disarm a rebellious militia leader. Moscow said it was a provocation, hampering the peace process, and demanded the withdrawal of Georgian troops.
The Saakashvili government in Georgia, which accuses Russia of backing separatism in the two regions, has in turn repeatedly demanded the withdrawal of Russian troops since it came to power in late 2003 and moved to join NATO and the European Union.
But the peacekeepers' stay was extended until mid-April 2007 by a UN resolution adopted in the wake of the latest spying row between the two ex-Soviet neighbors.
Another post-Soviet breakaway region, Transdnestr, approached Russia with a similar request earlier in October.
Moldova's breakaway region, with a predominantly Russian-speaking population, asked Russia, Ukraine, Belarus and the CIS Interparliamentary Assembly to recognize it as a sovereign independent state. And in a September 17 referendum, Transdnestr's population voted overwhelmingly in favor of joining Russia. The outcome was not recognized by the international community.
Russia has not officially expressed a desire to admit Abkhazia or other breakaway territories, but has drawn a parallel with Kosovo. The country said recognizing the sovereignty of the Serbian province, sought by the Albanian majority, will set a precedent for other separatist regions in former Soviet republics.
