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The EU condemned the Russian decision, announced by President Dmitry Medvedev (picture), to recognise the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
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BRUSSELS (EJP)---The French presidency of the European Union has condemned the Russian decision to recognise the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the two breakaway Georgian regions.
“The Presidency strongly condemns this decision, which is contrary to the principles of Georgia’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity, recognised by the United Nations Charter, the final Act of the conference on security and cooperation in Europe and the relevant Security Council Resolutions,” a statement said.
“In this context, the Presidency strongly recalls its commitment to the principle of Georgia’s territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders.”
“The Presidency calls for a political solution to the conflicts in Georgia and will examine from this viewpoint the consequences of the Russian decision,” the statement said.
French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called an extarodinary EU summit on the crisis in Georgia next Monday in Brussels.
A statement sent out by Sarkozy's office said that the special summit will discuss the future of EU-Russia relations and providing aid to Georgia at the request of various European countries.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the Russian decision “absolutely unacceptable” during a visit to Tallinn, Estonia, on Tuesday. "It is our position that the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia does not conform to international law."
"Georgia's independence and territorial integrity cannot be changed by decree from Moscow," British Foreign Minister David Miliband said, while announcing he will visit Ukraine on Wednesday to build the "widest possible coalition against Russian aggression."
Italy's Foreign Minister Franco Frattini departed from Rome's normally Russia-friendly tone, saying "It's a unilateral decision that doesn't have international support that makes it legally binding."
Nordic states also blasted Moscow, with Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt calling the act a "deliberate violation of international law," and Denmark's Per Stig Moller declaring "unconditional support for Georgia's territorial integrity."
Eastern European capitals lined up in support of Georgia, with the Czech republic in a statement calling Russia's action "an attack on the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia."
Estonian Prime Minister Andrus Ansip said NATO should now offer road maps for the membership of both Georgia and Ukraine and called for a break in relations with Russia.
