Russia Recognises Independence of breakaways as Serbs declare, “we told you so.”
26th August 2008
The two Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have now been officially recognised as independent by the Russian Federation.
The declaration by President Dmitry Medvedev has been met negatively by the United States, and by a number of European governments, while observers have expressed the concern that the decision will cause a further deterioration in relations between Russia and the West which are already strained. The move, along with Russia’s recent cancellation of a visit by Nato’s secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has also led to speculation that Russia is “preparing itself for a showdown”.
On Monday, Georgia’s Head of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration declared that Russia’s decision to recognise the independence of the two regions undermined not only Georgia, but also Nato, the UN and the EU, and argued that recognition must come from “the international community, not a particular aggressor state”.
But the Russian government has claimed its decision was made “in the interests of saving lives,” which has been greeted with an enthusiastic response by the inhabitants of the regions themselves.
Russia-watchers and the Russian government itself had predicted that the seeming acceptance by the West of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence earlier in 2008, would precipitate a copy-cat acceptance of the breakaway regions. In an August 26th statement, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was “following events in the Caucasus with concern,” and added that it had “been warning continuously” that the Kosovo’s UDI “could be precedent-like and might destabilise other regions in the world” and that “sadly, such predictions came true.”
It added that “official Belgrade respects international law and is principled in efforts to preserve sovereignty and territorial integrity of internationally recognised states, primarily the Republic of Serbia.”
The two Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia have now been officially recognised as independent by the Russian Federation.
The declaration by President Dmitry Medvedev has been met negatively by the United States, and by a number of European governments, while observers have expressed the concern that the decision will cause a further deterioration in relations between Russia and the West which are already strained. The move, along with Russia’s recent cancellation of a visit by Nato’s secretary general Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has also led to speculation that Russia is “preparing itself for a showdown”.
On Monday, Georgia’s Head of the Parliamentary Committee for European Integration declared that Russia’s decision to recognise the independence of the two regions undermined not only Georgia, but also Nato, the UN and the EU, and argued that recognition must come from “the international community, not a particular aggressor state”.
But the Russian government has claimed its decision was made “in the interests of saving lives,” which has been greeted with an enthusiastic response by the inhabitants of the regions themselves.
Russia-watchers and the Russian government itself had predicted that the seeming acceptance by the West of Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence earlier in 2008, would precipitate a copy-cat acceptance of the breakaway regions. In an August 26th statement, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that it was “following events in the Caucasus with concern,” and added that it had “been warning continuously” that the Kosovo’s UDI “could be precedent-like and might destabilise other regions in the world” and that “sadly, such predictions came true.”
It added that “official Belgrade respects international law and is principled in efforts to preserve sovereignty and territorial integrity of internationally recognised states, primarily the Republic of Serbia.”