International mediators report that Russia and Georgia have agreed to work out their differences on the status of the region along the border between Georgia and the newly independent enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Still, the sides failed to finalize a text on the management of the area’s security and refugees.
EU representative Pierre Morel [...]
In comments today Georgia’s former ambassador to Russia Erosi Kitsmarishvili said Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili was ‘itching’ to do battle over South Ossetia, and blamed the nation for sparking a brief August war with Russia that ended in the destruction of much of Georgia’s military and Russia officially recognizing the independence of the separatist enclaves [...]
Updated 10/15 11:40 AM EST
Peace talks planned for today in Geneva between Russia and Georgia have broken down after Russia refused to attend. Abkhazian Foreign Minister Sergei Chamba says there will now be two separate Geneva meetings, one for Russia and its allies and another for the Georgians.
Russian negotiators said they thought the talks should [...]
The Crimean Parliament voted today 79-8 to press the Ukrainian government to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It seems highly unlikely that the Ukrainian government will act on the call given the collapse of its coalition government and the strongly anti-Russian sentiment of Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko.
The move would also have serious [...]
In a high profile visit to Tbilisi, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer reiterated the alliance’s backing for Georgia in the aftermath of its brief August war with Russia. The NATO visit is seen as an important step towards Georgia’s eventual membership in the alliance, though reservations about Georgia’s democratic credentials in light of [...]
Russian troops will leave Georgian territory and return to Abkhazia and South Ossetia by October 11, in a deal that came after hours of negotiations with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. Under the terms of the agreement, the European Union would deploy 200 monitors later this month to the buffer area presently occupied by Russian troops.
Georgia [...]
With a NATO delegation scheduled to arrive in Georgia tomorrow to examine the damage done to the Caucasus nation’s military infrastructure, President Mikheil Saakashvili reiterated his vow to reclaim the breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which were lost after a Georgian military assault on South Ossetia led to a brief war with Russia, [...]
Last Updated 8/26 8:40 PM EST
Earlier this month when presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee John McCain declared “we are all Georgians,” it is unclear if he was referring to the people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Yet today the Bush Administration made it clear that this was to be America’s official position on the matter, whether [...]
