Russia ignores world anger over breakaway states
Russia raised the stakes in the aftermath of its invasion of Georgia today by formally recognising its two breakaway territories.
The move brought instant condemnation from the West but Russian president Dmitry Medvedev said he was not afraid of a new Cold War.
Mr Medvedev went on national television to say he had signed a decree recognising South Ossetia and Abkhazia a day after the Kremlin-controlled parliament voted unanimously to support the diplomatic recognition.
He added later: “We are not afraid of anything, including the prospect of a new Cold War, but we don’t want it and in this situation everything depends on the position of our partners.
“If they want to preserve good relations with Russia in the West, they will understand the reason behind our decision.”
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the decision to recognise the independence of two breakaway regions in Georgia was “extremely unfortunate”.
“Abkhazia and South Ossetia are a part of the internationally recognized borders of Georgia and it’s going to remain so,” she said, adding that the United States would use its veto power in the UN Security Council to block any Russian attempt change their status.
Britain, Germany and France also criticised the decision.
Russian forces have occupied positions beyond the borders of the separatist regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The two territories have effectively ruled themselves following wars in the 1990s.
Many of the Russian forces have pulled back from their positions in Georgia, but hundreds at least are estimated to still be manning checkpoints that Russia calls “security zones.”
Two of those checkpoints are near the edge of Poti, one of Georgia’s most important Black Sea ports – one by a bridge that provides the only access to Poti. The Russian military is also claiming the right to patrol in the city.
Angering Russia, the United States sent the missile destroyer USS McFaul to the southern Georgian port of Batumi, well away from the conflict zone, to deliver 34 tons of humanitarian aid on Sunday.
The McFaul left Batumi today but will remain in the Black Sea area, said a spokesman for the US Navy’s 6th Fleet.
Meanwhile the US Coast Guard cutter Dallas was heading for Georgia with aid.
The US would not say which ship would aim to enter Poti, but it appeared likely the smaller Coast Guard ship would aim to dock, with the McFaul possibly remaining on guard at sea.
Western countries have given substantial military aid to Georgia, angering Russia, which regards Georgia as part of its historical sphere of influence. Russia has also complained about aspirations by Georgia and Ukraine to join Nato.
Mr Medvedev said Georgian President Mikhail Saakshvili was so bent on gaining control of South Ossetia that he resorted to “genocide.”
“Georgia chose the least human way to achieve its goal – to absorb South Ossetia by eliminating a whole nation,” he said.
Hundreds of jubilant Ossetians and Abkhazians spilled onto the streets in their regional capitals after his announcement, waving national flags, firing shots in the air, cheering and dancing.
Both regions rely heavily on Russia for pensions and government subsidies. Most people in the two regions have been given Russian passports, and already consider themselves citizens of Russia.
Russia’s military presence seems likely to further weaken Georgia, a Western ally in the Caucasus region, a major transit corridor for energy supplies to Europe and a strategic crossroads close to the Middle East, Iran, Afghanistan, Russia and energy-rich Central Asia.
