Georgians rally in front of the Russian embassy to protest against the Kremlin’s recognition of the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, in Tbilisi, Georgia, late Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008. The posters, from left, read in Russian: ‘We will not forgive you for Abkhazia and Samachablo (a Georgian name for the South Ossetia region)! Ivan, go home!’ (AP Photo/George Abdaladze)
With humanitarian mission wife of U.S. presidential candidate John McCain is visiting in Georgia.
Cindy McCain has already met with victims of Russian aggression who are located in the previous building of Ministry of Finance. Guest talked with IDP-s and saw in what conditions they were living. Before that, Cindy McCain with Sandra Ruelovs paid visit in hospital to those who were wounded during Russian intervention and after the visits she met with president of Georgia and shared gained impressions with him.
John McCain mentioned a week ago about Cindy McCain’s visit to Georgia.
Representatives of the Armenian Diaspora in Tbilisi protested over Russia’s invasion of Georgia this afternoon.
The peaceful protest began from the Armenian Theatre and later was relocated to the Russian Embassy in Georgia. “Stop Russian intervention,” was the main slogan of the action.
David Miliband, the British Foreign Secretary rejected Russia’s recognition of two breakaway regions of Georgia and called for an international coalition to counter it, Reuters reported.
“Today’s announcement by President (Dmitry) Medvedev that Russia will recognize South Ossetia and Abkhazia is unjustifiable and unacceptable,” Miliband said in a statement.
“I am holding talks today with international partners and will be visiting Ukraine tomorrow to ensure the widest possible coalition against Russian aggression in Georgia,” he added. Miliband’s voice was the latest in a rising chorus of international disapproval for the unilateral Russian action. Read more…
Condoleezza Rice, the US Secretary of State blasted Russia’s recognition of breakaway Georgian territories as “regrettable.”
At a joint news conference with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Rice said that Russia’s formal recognition of the territories at the heart of its war with Georgia “puts Russia in opposition to the Security Council resolution to which it is a party.”
“I think it is regrettable,” Rice said, adding, “Since the United States is a permanent member of the Security Council, this simply will be dead on arrival in the Security Council.” President Bush had appealed to Russia’s president to ignore the advice of lawmakers and refrain from recognizing Georgia’s breakaway regions as independent.
But Russia formally recognized the breakaway Georgian territories at the heart of its war with Georgia on Tuesday, heightening tensions with the West as the United States dispatched military ships bearing aid to a port city still controlled by Russian troops.
Dmitry Medvedev, the Russian Federation’s President signed a decree on recognizing Georgia’s two separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states.
“I have signed decrees on the recognition by the Russian Federation of the independence of South Ossetia and the independence of Abkhazia,” Medvedev said in a televised announcement earlier this afternoon. He made the statement following the Security Council session held in the Russian seaside resort of Sochi.
On August 25, both houses of parliament in Moscow voted overwhelmingly to recognize the separatist republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Angela Merkel, German Chancellor has called on various world countries to support granting Georgia and Ukraine with the NATO Membership Action Plan (MAP) status, which would be a second ties status towards full membership.
Merkel stated in that regard during the press conference after talks with Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt on August 25.
“Despite the fact that the split of the Soviet Union has remained the greatest event of the 20th century for Russia, I believe that post-Soviet states have the right to decide with whom they want to cooperate in the future,” Merkel declared.
The German Chancellor also summoned Europe for taking active participation to help war-wrecked Georgia rehabilitate its infrastructure.
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