RECOGNITION OF ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA NOT PRECEDENT FOR KARABAKH, MOSCOW SAYS
PanARMENIAN.Net
18.09.2008 15:45 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The recognition by Russia of Georgia’s Abkhazia and
South Ossetia as independent states does not set a precedent for other
post-Soviet breakaway regions, the foreign minister said on Thursday.
Sergei Lavrov said that unlike Georgia, other ex-Soviet states involved
in territorial disputes do not plan to use military force to resolve
them. "There can be no parallels here," he said.
Moscow said its counterattack following Georgia’s offensive to retake
South Ossetia in early August and the subsequent recognition of the
two breakaway regions’ independence were its moral duty and necessary
to protect them from possible new acts of aggression. The majority of
Western states have sided with Tbilisi in the dispute, and strongly
criticized Russia.
"Russia will actively promote a peaceful solution to all the
conflicts in the CIS [Commonwealth of Independent States] in line
with international law and UN Charter principles," he said. "We will
pursue our mediation in peace talks, including over Transnistria and
Nagorno Karabakh."
"None of the sides engaged in the Nagorno Karabakh and Transnistria
talks have nurtured plans to violate international law, existing
agreements, the settlement format and to bomb civilians and
peacekeepers," Lavrov said, RIA Novosti reports.