Medvedev: Ossetians and Abkhazians unlikely to live with Georgia

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Friday that Georgia's two separatist regions were unlikely to ever be parts of the country again. At a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the resort town of Sochi, Medvedev said that although Russia respects the principle of territorial integrity, "After what happened, it's unlikely Ossetians and Abkhazians will ever be able to live together with Georgia in one state." Russian troops drove Georgian forces out of both regions over the past week and Medvedev said Moscow would support whatever decision the separatists made about their status. Merkel said some of Russia's actions in Georgia have been "disproportionate" and the presence of Russian troops there is "not sensible."