Senior U.S. offcial urges int'l community to respect Georgia's territorial integrity

Gordon said that vast majority of states around the world have not recognized independence of Georgia`s conflict regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

He called upon the international society to respect Georgia`s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

"I think the verdict of the international community on the declared independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia is pretty clear, which is to say that the overwhelmingly vast majority of countries around the world do not recognize their independence and have no intention of recognizing their independence. I think you have Nicaragua, Venezuela, and Nauru, which have stepped forward. That’s not exactly a resounding endorsement. We have a different view from Russia on this issue. And we – and our view is shared by, as I note, the vast majorities of countries around the world," he noted.

"We do actively engage with countries around the world and make our view clear. It’s not a secret that we don’t think South Ossetia and Abkhazia should be recognized. We don’t think that that promotes stability in the region, and we make our view clear to our international partners. But I would say it does not require an active American campaign to prevent recognitions because just about every country in the world shares our view that Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty should be respected and there should be other ways of dealing with the tensions within Georgia," Gordon said.

/Georgian Times/