Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian president, has signed a decree under which Russia formally recognises the breakaway Georgian provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
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“I have signed decrees on the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia,” Medvedev said in a pre-recorded address broadcast on national television.
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Medvedev’s announcement came a day after Russia’s parliament passed resolutions calling for the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
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Both houses of the Russian parliament called on Medvedev, Russia’s president, to recognise the independence of the two regions.
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The move is likely to stoke tensions between Moscow and Georgia’s Western allies, which already accuse Russia of not complying with an EU-brokered ceasefire agreement to withdraw troops to pre-conflict levels in Georgia.
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On Monday, the US state department said it was “unacceptable” for the Russian parliament to recognise the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
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“To us that would be unacceptable… Russia needs to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia,” said Robert Wood, a spokesman for the department.
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Agencies