Russia condemned for recognizing rebel regions
MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) — The United States, Britain and NATO have condemned Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, two breakaway regions in Georgia.
This is not an easy choice to make, but it represents the only possibility to save human lives, Medvedev said Tuesday in a televised address.
He called on other countries to follow Russia’s lead, which comes in the wake of the Russian-Georgian conflict which erupted earlier this month. But the decision was immediately denounced by the United States, Britain and NATO.
I think it is regrettable, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said during her visit to the Middle East. It puts Russia, of course, in opposition to a number of [United Nations] Security Council resolutions to which it is party.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said the decision was unjustifiable and unacceptable.
It will also not work. It is contrary to the principles of the peace agreement, which Russia recently agreed… [it] further inflames an already tense situation in the region, Miliband said.
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the decision was in direct violation of numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions regarding Georgia’s territorial integrity.
Speaking to CNN’s Matthew Chance, Medvedev said the move was in line with international law.
It is internationally recognized that if a people based on all these [U.N.] provisions express their will to have an independent existence… any other state in the world has the right to recognize this independence whether you like it or not, the Russian president said. Watch Medvedev recognize the breakaway regions
He also noted that Russia would like to avoid a new edition of the Cold War era.
Medvedev signed the order a day after it was overwhelmingly approved by both houses of Russia’s parliament.
Speaking Monday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili called the votes an attempt by Russia to justify the occupation by its forces, which remain in parts of Georgia.
It is unjustified, it is against the norms of international law and poses a challenge to the world community, he said.
Western nations have expressed support for Georgia, which aspires to NATO and European Union membership, with the U.S. dispatching a major humanitarian aid mission.
U.S. President George Bush said Monday that he was deeply concerned by the Russian parliament’s vote, and urged Russia not to recognize the independence of the two pro-Moscow breakaway regions.
The United States will continue to stand with the people of Georgia and their democracy and to support its sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said.
South Ossetia and Abkhazia broke away from Georgia during civil wars in the 1990s. Russia strengthened ties with them after the U.S. and much of Europe recognized the independence of the Serbian province of Kosovo earlier this year, a move that Moscow had warned against.
