Turkey voices ‘support for Georgia’s territorial integrity’
ANKARA – Anadolu Agency
Ankara fully supports the territorial integrity of neighboring Georgia, the Turkish Foreign Ministry stated on May 30, following the Syrian regime’s decision to recognize the breakaway Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Speaking to reporters, Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy said the Bashar al-Assad regime’s decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia was a “clear violation” of international law and related U.N. Security Council decisions.
“Our country, as emphasized on various occasions, supports the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Georgia,” the statement said.
On May 29, the Syrian regime said it would recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia’s unilateral independence from Georgia. According to Syria’s official SANA news agency, the al-Assad regime had an agreement to recognize the independence of the two regions and will establish diplomatic ties at the embassy level.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, self-declared independent states, are disputed areas between Russia and Georgia. Moscow recognized the independence of the Georgian breakaway regions after a six-day war with Georgia in 2008. The only U.N. member states to recognize the breakaway regions are Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Nauru.
