The letter said the Council of CIS Heads of State had extended the mandate of the Collective Peacekeeping Forces in the conflict zone until June 30.
President Putin, considering the role of Russia and its desire to settle the situation in Abkhazia, said the mandate of the 3,000-strong Russian peacekeeping contingent should be extended until late June 2001.
Mr Putin signed a document appointing Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Berdennikov and Major General Alexander Popov, Deputy Commander of the Airborne Force for Peacekeeping Issues, as his official representatives to the Federation Council during the discussion of this issue.
That same day, the Federation Council decided to support the presidential proposal.