29 May, 2018

SIMILAR STORIES US ambassador Kelly Degnan visits occupation line in Georgia

De-facto foreign ministry of occupied Tskhinvali Region of Georgia and so-called president’s administration of occupied Abkhazia say they are starting to establish diplomatic relations with Syria.De-facto foreign ministry of occupied Tskhinvali (so-called South Ossetia) says the decision on establishment of “diplomatic ties between South Ossetia and Syria” comes into force starting from today.Yesterday, Anatoly Bibilov, leader of Tskhinvali puppet regime, claimed that one more state is going to recognize the "independence" ofso-called South Ossetia by the end of 2018.Syrian foreign ministry confirms recognition of Georgia’s occupied regions. Ministry of foreign affairs of Syria has released an official statement regarding recognition of occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali Regions.“Expressing gratitude for the support during the terrorist aggression against Syria, the Syrian Arab Republic decided to establish diplomatic relations with the republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” the Syrian foreign ministry said.According to the official statement, the diplomatic ties will be established at embassy level.Georgia has launched procedures to cut diplomatic relations with the Syrian Arab Republic, - Deputy Foreign Minister Davit Dondua said at a special briefing on Tuesday. According to the deputy FM, the regime of Assad supported military aggression against Georgia, illegal occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions and ethnic cleansing that is underway for years.“On May 29, 2018, the Syrian regime made another illegal decision as a result of manipulation by the Russian Federation and recognized so-called independence of Georgia’s integral regions - Abkhazia and Tskhinvali/South Ossetia. As a result of this action, the Assad regime supported Russia's military aggression against Georgia, illegal occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions and ethnic cleansing that is underway for years. In this way the Syrian regime ignored the territorial integrity of the sovereign state and international legal obligation on inviolability of internationally recognized borders. Taking this fact into consideration, Georgia has begun procedures to cut diplomatic relations with the Syrian Arab Republic,"Dondua said.Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (so-called South Ossetia) are the territories occupied by Russia after the Russo-Georgian War in 2008.After the 2008 war and subsequent Russian military occupation of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia), the Russian government, along with several others, considers the territories as sovereign independent states: the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia. Before Russian occupation, the unrecognized Republic of Abkhazia and the unrecognized Republic of South Ossetia did not completely control their respectively claimed territories.Russian military bases were established in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali. Russia does not allow the European Union Monitoring Mission to enter either Abkhazia or Tskhinvali.Russia has signed agreements with the de facto civilian administrations of both territories to integrate them militarily and economically into Russia. Russian troops have started the process of demarcation (also known as "borderization") near South Ossetia-Georgia administrative boundary line and meanwhile gradually advancing the occupation line inside Georgia to enlarge the Russian-held territory.Both Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) are widely recognized as integral parts of Georgia and together represent 20% of Georgia's internationally recognized territory. Georgia and a major part of the international community (the Czech Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, the US, Japan, the EU, NATO, OSCE, Council of Europe) have recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia as occupied territories and have condemned the Russian military presence and actions there.Related stories: