Medvedev reaffirms Russian support during visit to Abkhazia

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev paid a surprise visit to the Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia, where he pledged further support for Abkhazia and South Ossetia as the two regions commemorated the 2008 five-day war.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on Sunday defended Moscow’s position to support two Georgian breakaway regions and assured Abkhazia of its support during an unscheduled visit to the region’s capital, Sukhumi.

“I regret nothing,” Medvedev said as he chatted to Russian tourists on Abkhazia’s Black Sea coast. “If we had not recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia, we would not be drinking coffee here. More likely, there would have been a prolonged, bloody conflict. We prevented a bloodbath,” the president said.