26 August 2008
U.S. Rejects Russia’s Recognition of Georgian Separatists
Abkhazia and South Ossetia remain Georgia’s territory, says Rice
Washington -- Russia’s move to officially recognize the independence of Georgia’s separatist regions South Ossetia and Abkhazia is a “regrettable” violation of international peace-building efforts that Moscow itself once helped shape, says Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, joining in widespread international condemnation of Moscow’s latest action in the ongoing Georgia crisis.
“Abkhazia and South Ossetia are a part of the internationally recognized borders of Georgia and it's going to remain so,” Rice said in an August 26 statement from the West Bank. Any move to gain further international recognition for the territories at the U.N. Security Council, she added, “will be dead on arrival.”
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev issued a statement earlier in the day declaring his government’s formal recognition for the two Moscow-backed regions, despite urgings from the United States and European officials, who agree that recognition violates U.N. resolutions maintaining Georgia’s territorial integrity.
President Bush condemned Russia’s “irresponsible” decision later in the day. “The territorial integrity and borders of Georgia must be respected, just as those of Russia or any other country,” Bush said.
In international law, the principle of territorial integrity occupies the highest priority when nations work to resolve separatist conflicts, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Matt Bryza said in a recent briefing. Nations use territorial integrity as a starting point to peacefully negotiate further compromises -- a process Russia now has disrupted.
Under the European Union’s six-point cease-fire agreement, Russia agreed to join in international talks concerning South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- a diplomatic process aimed at unraveling the complex security and stability challenges facing the two regions. Russia’s unilateral move has called this process into question, Bush said. “Russia’s action only exacerbates tensions and complicates diplomatic negotiations,” the president said.
“The six-point agreement offered a peaceful way forward to resolve the conflict,” Bush said. “We expect Russia to live up to its international commitments, reconsider this irresponsible decision, and follow the approach set out in the six-point agreement.”
Both regions have operated separately from the rest of Georgia with funding and support from Moscow since the early 1990s, but no nation –- including Russia -- has ever officially recognized their self-declared independence.
The Kremlin’s declaration will change little on the ground for the thousands of Ossetians and Abkhaz who turned out to celebrate Medvedev’s announcement, but it sends a worrying signal to the international community about Russia’s intentions. (See “Georgia Crisis Raises Questions About Russian Policy, Rice Says.”)
Medvedev’s announcement comes as Russia already faced widespread international criticism for its continued refusal to honor its commitments to withdraw its forces to pre-conflict positions.
While most Russian forces withdrew from Georgia August 22, hundreds remain behind, operating checkpoints in self-declared “security zones” in and around the disputed regions as well as near strategic roads, ports and other key sites. (See “Russia Still Violating Cease-fire in Georgia, Says White House.”)
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has called an emergency EU meeting for September 1 to discuss the Georgia crisis. In the wake of Medvedev’s announcement, that meeting likely will focus on Europe’s future relations with Russia, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said.
Finnish Foreign Minister Alexander Stubb, who chairs the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and partnered with Kouchner to shuttle between Georgia and Russia negotiating the truce, joined in criticizing Medvedev’s announcement. “The recognition of independence for South Ossetia and Abkhazia violates fundamental OSCE principles,” he said.
NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said Moscow’s move was “in direct violation of numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions regarding Georgia’s territorial integrity, resolutions that Russia itself has endorsed,” and “call[s] into question Russia’s commitment to peace and security in the Caucasus.” (See “NATO Strengthens Ties with Georgia.”)
Among other leaders joining to reject Russia’s decision were British Foreign Minister David Miliband, who called it “unjustifiable and unacceptable”; Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini, who called Russia’s actions “outside the framework of international legality”; and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, who warned that Russia was “playing with fire” in the Caucasus.
“This is in violation of the principle of territorial integrity, which is one of the basic principles of international law and this is therefore absolutely unacceptable,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a visit to Estonia. “The crisis in Georgia has changed the situation in Europe unfortunately in a way that runs counter to our values and convictions.”
In contrast, only four countries to date have voiced support for Russia’s actions in Georgia: Belarus, Cuba, Syria and Venezuela.
For more information, see Crisis in Georgia.
