Opinion
Barry Artiste. Now Public Contributor
Certainly refreshing to read what Moscow Times Staff writers reports Nabi Abdullaev, Nikolaus von Twickel reports, versus some biased reports we are receiving out of North America media for a change.
It’s reported, Abkhazia and South Ossetia have long sought to be recognized as independent states. Russia never objected to their bids but formally pledged to respect Georgia’s territorial integrity.
http://www.themoscowtimes.com/articles/detail.php?ID=369810&print=Y
(Photo Inset by Bela Szandelszky / AP) Russian troops taking up positions around a grazing cow during a search operation near the Black Sea port of Poti, which came under Russian fire Thursday.
Medvedev Backs Independence Bids
15 August 2008 By Nabi Abdullaev, Nikolaus von Twickel / Staff Writers
President Dmitry Medvedev signaled Thursday that he would support independence bids by Georgia’s separatist provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, as Russian troops roamed in Georgia proper, prompting outcries that Moscow was violating a truce reached with Tbilisi this week.
“We will support any decisions made by the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia … and not only will we support them, but we will guarantee them both in the Caucasus and throughout the world,” Medvedev told Abkhaz leader Sergei Bagapsh and his South Ossetian counterpart, Eduard Kokoity, in the Kremlin.
The two separatist leaders were in Moscow to sign a document outlining the principles for a settlement of the Russian-Georgian conflict. Russian troops poured into South Ossetia last Friday, rebuffing an attempt by Georgia’s military to reclaim South Ossetia by force.
Having routed Georgian units in the separatist region, the troops then moved into Georgia proper, saying it needed to destroy Georgian military bases and positions near the towns of Gori and Senaki to protect South Ossetia from further attacks.
Tags: Georgia | Russia | opinion | World | gori | Ossetia | Dmitry Medvedev | Barry Artiste
