Seven countries urge Russia to refuse recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia

Seven Western countries have signed a joint statement calling on Russia to recall its recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and to immediately withdraw its troops from there.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Russia and some other countries had recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia after the 2008 "Five-Day War". The Georgian authorities treat both South Ossetia and Abkhazia as its territories occupied by Russia.

The above seven countries – France, the USA, the Great Britain, Norway, Ireland, Estonia and Albania – have appealed to Russia urging it to recall the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. They have condemned the presence of the Russian military contingent in the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and proclaimed the need for a peaceful settlement of the Moscow-Tbilisi conflict. The joint statement is timed to the anniversary of the events of 2008, it follows from a statement posted on August 4 on the website of the French UN permanent mission in New York.

According to the authors of the statement, "Russia's actions are clearly violating the international law."

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 5, 2021 at 11:10 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.