Earlier in the day, Putin arrived in Abkhazia where he met with Abkhazian President Raul Khajimba. During the meeting, Putin said that Russia intended to continue guaranteeing the security and independence of Abkhazia.
"President Putin's visit to the Abkhazia region of Georgia — on the ninth anniversary of the armed conflict — is detrimental to international efforts to find a peaceful and negotiated settlement. We regret that this visit was carried out without prior consent of the Georgian authorities," White said.
"We will not recognise any attempts to change the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as regions of Georgia," he added.
On August 26, 2008, less than a month after a military conflict in South Ossetia, Russia's then-President and incumbent Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev signed decrees on the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia independence and establishing of diplomatic relations with both republics. Meanwhile, Georgia still considers the regions as part of its territory.
