MOSCOW, July 29 (RIA Novosti) - Russia objects to a recent statement from a senior Belarusian official, apparently recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia as falling under Georgia's legal system, a Kremlin official said on Wednesday.
Belarus has refused to join Russia in recognizing the two republics as independent states since last summer's brief Russia-Georgia war, sparked by Georgia's attack on South Ossetia.
Belarusian Foreign Ministry official Alexander Lukashevich earlier advised Belarusian nationals to abide by Georgian laws when visiting South Ossetia and Abkhazia, comments that were welcomed by Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili.
Responding to the Belarusian statement, the Kremlin official said: "This is, to say the least, simply inconsistent."
He added that unlike many Western countries, Belarus refused from the outset to take a definite stance on the issue of whether to recognize the two republics.
