Russian President calls on neighbouring countries to respect Abkhazian independence

"Today we are commemorating the day Georgia initiated a bloody conflict, in which our citizens, the peace-keepers in South Ossetia, were killed", the president of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev said today.

The president stressed that, though these two years had been hard, Russian and local officials have done their best to help the people in Abkhazia and South Ossetia to arrange a new peaceful life.

The president believes that Russian peace-keeping forces prevent the expansion of extremism and terror in the region. The Russian president also called on neighbouring countries to respect the independence of Abkhazia.