MOSCOW, August 26 (RIA Novosti) - On August 26, Abkhazia and South Ossetia mark their independence day, with Russia being the first international state to recognize their sovereignty on this day in 2008.
Residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia repeatedly voted for independence during referendums. In October 1999, 97.5 percent of the Abkhaz population voted for a Constitution, which would proclaim the territory a sovereign democratic state. In South Ossetia, the vast majority of the population – about 99 percent – twice voted for the independence of the republic – in January 1992 and November 2006.
In the first half of August 2008, after the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict, South Ossetia and Abkhazia appealed to Russia to recognize their independence from Georgia. Both chambers of the Russian Federal Assembly adopted on August 25, 2008, an appeal to President Dmitry Medvedev to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
On August 26, 2008, Medvedev, taking into account the free will of the South Ossetian and Abkhazian peoples and guided by the UN Charter, the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law Concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation Among States, the 1975 OSCE Helsinki Final Act and other fundamental international documents, signed the executive orders on the recognition by the Russian Federation of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
The peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia applauded the news that Russia had recognized their states.
In response to Russia’s decision to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Moscow and declared the two Caucasian republics occupied territories.
The United States and the European Union refused to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, claiming to support Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Nicaragua became the first country to follow Russia in recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
On September 5, 2008, Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega issued an executive order recognizing the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On September 10, 2009, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez announced the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
On December 15 and 16, 2009, Nauru recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia and announced the establishment of diplomatic relations with them.
In May 2011, Vanuatu, an island state, recognized Abkhazia’s independence.
In September 2011, South Ossetia and Abkhazia were recognized by the island nation of Tuvalu. Joint declarations on establishing diplomatic relations between Abkhazia and Tuvalu and South Ossetia and Tuvalu were signed on September 18 and 19, 2011, respectively.
