Radio Liberty starts broadcasting for Abkhazia

The Radio Liberty/Radio Free Europe opens its new project. From November 2 on, every evening frequencies 9525 and 9780 will broadcast an information-analytical programme in the Russian language "Echo of the Caucasus". It is a new Russian-language analytical programme aimed at the audience in South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

It is planned that the everyday one-hour-long programme will be made in Prague jointly by the Russian and Georgian services.

As reported by the Radio Liberty, journalist Andrei Babitskiy will be in charge of the "Echo of the Caucasus" as the editor.

"The whole territory of the former Soviet Union sees a deficiency of information; in this region it's felt especially sharply," said Mr Babitskiy and noted that in South Ossetia and Abkhazia people are forced to rely on information from Russian sources.

He has emphasized that the mission of Radio Liberty is to fill in informational gaps. "We'll present both the Moscow viewpoint and the one from western countries. I think that the story on the situation in the region based on the cross of these power lines will acquire both depth and sharpness," Andrei has noted.

The "Golos Rossii" reports that Tbilisi has assessed this step of Radio Liberty as "information recognition" of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.