Georgia: Saakashvili says Pacific island no longer recognizes Abkhazia
| Publisher | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty |
| Publication Date | 21 May 2013 |
| Cite as | Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Georgia: Saakashvili says Pacific island no longer recognizes Abkhazia, 21 May 2013, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/51a47a2d2d.html [accessed 19 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
May 21, 2013
By RFE/RL's Georgian Service
The tiny Pacific island nation of Vanuatu recognized Georgia in 2011. (file photo)
TBILISI – Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili says the tiny Pacific island nation of Vanuatu has withdrawn its recognition of Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia.
Saakashvili, who held talks with Vanuatu Prime Minister Moana Carcasses Kalosil this week on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Water Summit in Thailand, announced on May 20 that Vanuatu authorities had "changed their mind" on Abkhazia.
Moscow was the first to recognize Abkhazia as an independent state after a brief war with Georgia in 2008.
Only a handful of countries have followed suit, including Vanuatu in 2011.
Saakashvili praised Vanuatu's policy reversal as "historic" and said it represented a "very serious defeat on the diplomatic front" for Russia.
Vanuatu never recognized Georgia's other breakaway territory, South Ossetia.
With reporting by AFP and Interfax
Link to original story on RFE/RL website
