Patriarch of Georgia asks Russia not to ratify independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia

Грузинский патриарх просит Россию не узаконивать независимость Южной Осетии и Абхазии

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II has requested the leadership of Russia "not to ratify" the resolution passed by the Russian parliament "concerning the Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali regions."

In his statement, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church particularly said : "For the welfare and future of the two countries, the Cathlicos-Patriarch of all Georgia requests the President and Prime Minister of Russia not to ratify the resolution passed by the Federation Council and State Duma, as it is lacking any legal or historical basis," reports ITAR-TASS.

In the next two days, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev could sign the resolution recognizing the independence and sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Immediately after Russia, Iran, Belarus, Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, and a couple dozen other states will also recognize the republics.

On August 25, the State Duma of the Russian Federation, at an extraordinary plenary session, passed a resolution urging the President of Russia to recognize the independence of the Republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Several hours earlier, a similar resolution was passed by the Federation Council of the Russian Federation.

IA Regnum