U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, urged Russia on Monday to withdraw its military forces from two separatist regions within Georgia.
Clinton’s call came as she visited Georgia on the last leg of her five-nation trip across Eastern Europe.
Clinton’s call came as she visited Georgia on the last leg of her five-nation trip across Eastern Europe.
The United States has actively sought to reassure former Soviet Union states of its support, despite the recent reset and improvement in U.S.-Russia relations.
Washington remains “steadfast in its commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Clinton said at a news conference in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, after meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Clinton has criticized Russia for what she referred to as its sphere of influence over post-Soviet countries.
A seven-day war broke out between Russia and Georgia in 2008 over Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia considers the regions to be Georgian territory, while Russia considers them independent.
Georgia launched an assault on South Ossetia meeting a harsh Russian counterstrike. An estimated 390 civilians were killed in the violence and around 200,000 people were displaced.
A ceasefire deal was reached between Russia and Georgia in August 2008.
The United States has called on Russia to follow its commitments to the ceasefire and pull back its military forces to their positions prior to the outbreak of the war and to allow free humanitarian access to the regions.
“We continue to object to and criticize actions by Russia, which we believe are wrong,” Clinton said at the meeting with Georgian women leaders on Monday.
The Russian invasion of Georgia has continued to be a point of disagreement between the United States and Russia.
“[We] do have a fundamental disagreement with the Russian government about the definition of the borders of the Georgian state,” Mike McFaul, Obama’s top Russia adviser said last month ahead of Russian President Dmitry A. Medvedev his visit to the United States. “We consider their occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be illegitimate,” he said.
In her address, Clinton stressed that Georgia is continuing to develop a democratic state and democratic institutions.
However, the reputation of the pro-American Georgian President Saakashvili suffered when the European Union found him responsible for the seven-day war.
Saakashvili is also being criticized by opposition parties who accuse him of monopolizing power and controlling the media. When Saakashvili won his second and final term as president in the early 2008, international observers recorded serious fraud in the voting process.
Washington remains “steadfast in its commitment to Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Clinton said at a news conference in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, after meeting with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Clinton has criticized Russia for what she referred to as its sphere of influence over post-Soviet countries.
A seven-day war broke out between Russia and Georgia in 2008 over Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Georgia considers the regions to be Georgian territory, while Russia considers them independent.
Georgia launched an assault on South Ossetia meeting a harsh Russian counterstrike. An estimated 390 civilians were killed in the violence and around 200,000 people were displaced.
A ceasefire deal was reached between Russia and Georgia in August 2008.
The United States has called on Russia to follow its commitments to the ceasefire and pull back its military forces to their positions prior to the outbreak of the war and to allow free humanitarian access to the regions.
“We continue to object to and criticize actions by Russia, which we believe are wrong,” Clinton said at the meeting with Georgian women leaders on Monday.
The Russian invasion of Georgia has continued to be a point of disagreement between the United States and Russia.
“[We] do have a fundamental disagreement with the Russian government about the definition of the borders of the Georgian state,” Mike McFaul, Obama’s top Russia adviser said last month ahead of Russian President Dmitry A. Medvedev his visit to the United States. “We consider their occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be illegitimate,” he said.
In her address, Clinton stressed that Georgia is continuing to develop a democratic state and democratic institutions.
However, the reputation of the pro-American Georgian President Saakashvili suffered when the European Union found him responsible for the seven-day war.
Saakashvili is also being criticized by opposition parties who accuse him of monopolizing power and controlling the media. When Saakashvili won his second and final term as president in the early 2008, international observers recorded serious fraud in the voting process.
