Russian recognition of two breakaway regions of Georgia is "in direct violation of international law," Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said Tuesday.
The Russian move is "in direct violation of international law and imperils the international security framework," Saakashvili said in a statement.
"Russia's decision is therefore a direct and grave challenge to the international order," he said.
Saakashvili's statement came after Russian President Dmitry Medvedev signed decrees recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which broke from central Georgian rule during wars in the early 1990s after the collapse of the former Soviet Union.
The move also drew criticism from Western nations. The United States said Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is "unacceptable," while France, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, described the Russian decision as "regrettable."
But Medvedev said on Tuesday that recognizing the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia was in line with the international law.
"Each case of recognizing independence is a special case," Medvedev said, noting Russia's Western partners said Kosovo was a special case during its independence debate.
Source:Xinhua
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