23:44, 18 September 2008

Lavrov: recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia is no precedent for Transdniestria and Karabakh

Sergey Lavrov, head of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, spoke today to the Council of Federation and said that the recognition of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia did not create any precedent for Transdniestria and Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We'll responsibly realize our intermediary mission in the negotiating process; it refers in full to Transdniestria and Nagorno-Karabakh. Every case has its peculiarities, formats and mediation mechanisms," said Mr Lavrov and added that the South-Ossetian crisis does not create any precedent for these formations, the RIA "Novosti" reports.

"The Russia's recognition of South Ossetia's and Abkhazia's independence was the only possible solution to ensure not even the safety, but the very survival of our fraternal nations in the face of the chauvinistic threat from Tbilisi," said the diplomat and added that the aggression against South Ossetia, its bombardment and preparation of a blitzkrieg against Abkhazia were those actions by which Saakashvili had crossed out the territorial integrity of his state, the ITAR-TASS reports.