Georgia, a former Soviet republic, declared independence on April 9, 1991, shortly before the disintegration of the Soviet Union.
Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgia and Russia have been at odds over the Georgian breakaway territories of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, as well as other issues.
In early 2004, Mikheil Saakashvili was elected president of Georgia after Eduard Shevardnadze was deposed during the "Rose Revolution" of 2003.
Since then, the Georgian government has sought to join NATO and the European Union, and accused Russia of covertly supporting the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Russia is strongly opposed to Georgia's entry into the NATO, citing national security and strategy considerations. It also opposes a military solution to the South Ossetia and Abkhazia issue.
In addition, Russia has repeatedly accused Georgia of sheltering Chechen militants.
Russia evacuated its Georgian military bases and handed over the last remaining base in Batumi to Georgia in 2007, but bilateral relations have remained cool.
In September 2007, Georgian authorities detained five Russian soldiers, accusing them of being spies, an allegation that was strongly denied by Russia, leading to further worsening of bilateral ties.
Following Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia in February this year, South Ossetia and Abkhazia once again called on Russia and other countries to recognize their independence.
Russia took a series of measures to enhance cooperation with the authorities of the two regions, a move strongly condemned by Georgia.
In the early hours of Aug. 8, Georgian armed forces entered South Ossetia in a bid to reclaim the rebel region. In response, Russia also sent in troops in a bid to reinforce its peacekeeping force there. This marked the official start of conflict between the two countries.
Russia declared a halt to its military offensive on Aug. 12, and agreed to a deal brokered by French President Nicolas Sarkozy on the settlement of the conflict in South Ossetia. Later, Moscow said it had fulfilled the promise made in the peace plan, which was accepted by all parties concerned, to withdraw its troops from Georgia as of last Friday.
On Monday, both houses of the Russian parliament approved an appeal to President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Medvedev signed decrees recognizing the independence of both regions Tuesday, a move condemned by Saakashvili as being "in direct violation of international law" and a "direct and grave challenge to international order."
Source: Xinhua
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