EU condemns Russian agreement with South Ossetia, Abkhazia

Russia has taken official control of the borders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in a 10-year deal with the two Georgian breakaway regions. The European Union alongside Nato and the United States have condemned the development as a breach of the 2008 Russia-Georgia peace agreement brokered by the EU. Under the new deal, Moscow extends its responsibility for patrolling the two republics' effective borders with Georgia proper. Nato called the move a "clear contravention" of the ceasefire agreement, a characterisation echoed by the US. Russia, for its part, accuses Nato of its own provocation in the region for planning military exercises in Georgia next week.

Source: EUobserver