Protesters in the Russian-backed breakaway region of Abkhazia today refused to leave the parliament building they stormed yesterday, as the region’s president offered as a condition for his resignation.

Demonstrators stormed Parliament to protest an investment deal with Moscow.

Russia’s RIA news agency reported that President Aslan Bzania said today he would resign and call early elections if protesters walk out of parliament in Abkhazia’s capital, Sukhumi, and proposed a vice president as interim president.

“When they leave the building, I will sign my letter of resignation and in the new elections we will see how much support they will have,” RIA quoted Bzania as saying.

He said he plans to run in this election.

The protesters said in a statement that their action was not directed against Abkhazia’s close relations with Russia, but accused Bzania of “trying to use these relations for his own benefit (and) manipulating them to strengthen his regime”.

Moscow said yesterday, Friday, that it was monitoring the “crisis situation” with concern and called on Russian citizens to avoid traveling to Abkhazia.

Russia recognized Abkhazia and another breakaway region, South Ossetia, as independent states in 2008 after defeating Georgia in a five-day war. It maintains military bases in both regions and supports their economies.

Most of the international community recognizes Abkhazia as part of Georgia, from which it seceded during wars in the early 1990s.