Question: On 10 September, the President of Venezuela Hugo Chavez stated that his country recognizes the sovereignty of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Your comment.

Elbrus Kargiev, Ambassador Plenipotentiary and Extraordinary of the RF in South Ossetia: The statement of Hugo Chavez, the President of Venezuela, on recognition of independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia – is an important political event.
I had repeatedly stated that the recognition of new South Caucasus states by international community is the process the first stages of which we are facing now.
The development of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as states with developing democracy is giving the grounds to the progressive world leaders to make a similar step forward. It is time to recognize that the peoples of South Ossetia and Abkhazia had suffered through their right to deterime their own fate. Russia and Nicaragua showed this understanding already in August and September last year.