Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will visit South Ossetia and Abkhazia on April 25-26, where he will sign a number of intergovernmental agreements, including on setting up information and cultural centers in the former Georgian republics, the Foreign Ministry said.
Lavrov will also discuss with the republics’ leaders the problems and prospects of bilateral cooperation, in particular, protection of Russians’ property rights in Abkhazia and transport problems in South Ossetia.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia in the early 1990s. Georgian forces attempted to bring South Ossetia back under central control in August 2008, but were repelled by the Russian military. Russia subsequently recognized both republics, a move heavily criticized by the West.
MOSCOW, April 25 (RIA Novosti)