Abkhazia, South Ossetia mark 2nd anniversary of independence

On August 26, 2008, Moscow recognized the former Georgian provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.

By recognizing the two’s independence, Moscow formally ended the process, which started with Russia’s interference in the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict in August 2008.

Back then, peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia reserved the right to peacefully coexist for years to come, something that the South Ossetian President said, added to a more peaceful Caucasus.  Two years on, those events still matter, Eduard Kokoity said.

It was something of a turning point for us, Kokoity says, praising Russia’s decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.

By doing so, Russia, in fact, put an end to unipolar world, which has seen the United States’ full-fledged international clout in the past.

As to Russian peacekeepers’ military operation on compelling Georgia to peace, it was performed brilliantly, Kokoity concluded.

The brief war in 2008 between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia caused a global uproar at the time.

Many EU countries and the United States still insist that Moscow’s recognition of the two’s independence rides roughshod over international norms.

The past couple of months have seen a turn-around, though, with more Western leaders and pundits admitting Russia being on the right side of the law in South Ossetia in 2008.

One can only hope that at the end of the day, the global community will rightly assess the 2008 Caucasus events, which added greatly to the current world balance of power.