Slovakia rejects Russia's recognition of independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement provided to local media on Tuesday. In reaction to Tuesday's step by Russia's President Dmitry Medvedev, the Foreign Ministry has emphasized that Slovakia respects the territorial integrity of Georgia, comprising also Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
With regard to its relationship with Georgia and resolution of conflicts on its territory, Slovakia proceeds from these principles: "sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its present internationally recognized borders, and conflict resolution by exclusively peaceful means and negotiations in accordance with international law," the Foreign Ministry stressed.
In connection with Georgia, Slovak diplomacy has emphasized its refusal to recognize the independence of Kosovo. It sees this as a plus, making it one of the few principled European Union member states. "As one of the few European Union countries to do so, Slovakia's government will insist on the territorial integrity of Georgia on principal, as it did in the case of Serbia and Kosova," the ministry's statement reads.
The Foreign Ministry also calls on "other members of the international community" to strictly follow international law and the aforementioned principles in the case of Georgia and its breakaway provinces.