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Medvedev appoints ambassadors to South Ossetia, Abkhazia

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-10-24 23:53

MOSCOW -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday appointed ambassadors to South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Georgian breakaway regions Moscow recognized as independent states in late August.

Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev sits in his Gorki residence outside Moscow, October 23, 2008. [Agencies]

Medvedev named Elbrus Kargiyev, former minister-counselor to Turkey, as the Russian ambassador to South Ossetia, and Semyon Grigoryev, who formerly served as ambassador to Afghanistan and held diplomatic posts in the Middle East, as head of the diplomatic mission in Abkhazia.

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"You will be beginning your work in a relatively difficult period -- these are young countries, where many things have to be done," Medvedev was quoted as saying by the RIA Novosti news agency.

Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26, two weeks after a brief war with Georgia, which had launched a sudden attack to reclaim South Ossetia. So far, only Nicaragua has followed suit.

On Thursday, the Georgian parliament adopted an appeal to friendly parliaments and international organizations to force Russia to withdraw its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.