US Secretary of State urges Russia to withdraw troops from occupied regions of Georgia
During a meeting in Washington on Monday with Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the US condemns the Russian occupation of the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the Voice of America reports.
"The United States unequivocally condemns Russia’s occupation on Georgian soil. Russia’s forcible invasion of Georgia is a clear violation of international peace and security and goes against the basic principles of the Charter of the UN and the Helsinki Final Act," the US Secretary of State said.
Pompeo stressed that the Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are presently occupied by Russia, are part of Georgia. The United States supports Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, he added. The US Secretary of State urged Russia to withdraw its forces from the occupied Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
"We call on Russia to fulfill all of its obligations under the 2008 ceasefire agreement to withdraw its forces to pre-conflict positions to reverse its recognition of the Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and to provide free access for humanitarian assistance to each of those two regions," he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said earlier that Trump administration is going to introduce "the strongest sanctions in history" against Iran.