Belarus would recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two breakaway regions of Georgia, in the next day or two, Belarusian Ambassador to Russia Vasily Dolgolev said Thursday.
"We are allies and this says it all," Dolgolev told journalists when asked whether Belarus would recognize the independence of the two regions.
President Aleksandr Lukashenko will make a relevant statement on Thursday or Friday, the ambassador added.
"Belarus favors peaceful means. We cannot support the aggression unleashed by Georgia. I think what Russia did was right," he was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.
Lukashenko on Thursday sent a message to his Russian counterpart, saying his country remained a reliable ally of Russia.
The Belarusian president also called for the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to find a common stance on the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
"Under the circumstances Russia had no other moral choice but to support appeals of South Ossetian and Abkhazian peoples on the recognition of their right for self-determination in line with fundamental international documents," Lukashenko said in the message, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke from Georgian rule during wars in the early 1990s following the collapse of the Soviet Union, but their self-proclaimed independence is not recognized internationally.
On Tuesday, Medvedev signed a decree formally recognizing the Georgian breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states. No country has followed suit in spite of Medvedev's call.
Source:Xinhua
|
Comment
Tell A Friend
Print Format
Save Article