"In terms of the news [as to] why Syria has now recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia, this isn’t a complete surprise to us simply because Bashar al-Assad is propped up by the Russian regime”, the spokesperson of the US State Department Heather Nauert said during a press briefing on May 29 while speaking about Syria’s recognition of the Russian-occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Answering a question from Georgian TV channel Rustavi 2 she said that the Russian-occupied regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia are integral parts of Georgia.
"We continue to support Georgia’s sovereignty, its independence, its territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders; and the Assad regime’s – we’d call it an ill-advised decision, to say the least – has nothing to do to change the reality or our position on the matter,” Nauert added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Syria released an official statement yesterday recognising the occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions as independent.
Georgia is responding with measures to cut diplomatic relations with the Syrian Arab Republic.