"The decision of the Syrian regime to establish diplomatic relations with the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia violates international law and the principle of territorial integrity as defined by the United Nations Charter and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. The same day, a statement on the website of the self-declared South Ossetian Foreign Ministry said the northern Georgian region and Syria had “established diplomatic relations.”

The Syrian news agency SANA also reported that Damascus had agreed to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia “in appreciation of the supportive positions [they made] toward the terrorist aggression against Syria.”

Earlier in the day, Syria recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and decided to establish the diplomatic relations with the republics. Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s and were recognized by Russia in the aftermath of the 2008 conflict between Tbilisi and Moscow. The statement added that both countries are seeking “to establish and develop full-scale political, economic and cultural cooperation.”

Earlier, the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia were recognized by Venezuela, Nicaragua, Nauru and Russia.
Syria recognizes the disputed territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states which in turn prompts Georgia to sever its relations with Syria.