Tuesday, May 19, 2009

Georgia says Russian pressure led to changes in UN Caucasus report

Georgia's foreign minister claimed on Tuesday that the UN Secretary General's draft report on the situation in the Caucasus region had been amended due to pressure from Russia.

The Geneva talks, which started on Monday, are backed by the UN, the EU and the OSCE and involve Georgia, Russia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Russia recognized the former Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states on August 26 last year. The move came two weeks after the end of a five-day war with Georgia which began when Georgian forces attacked South Ossetia to try to regain control of the region.

Friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia were signed by Russian President Dmitry Medvedev last November.

Under the pacts, Russia has among other things pledged to help the republics protect their borders, and the signatories have granted each other the right to set up military bases in their respective territories.

Source: Rianovosti

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