Georgia’s breakaway states sign peace deal

The self-proclaimed Presidents of Georgia’s breakaway states have signed the peace deal to end the fighting in Georgia. At the Kremlin, President Medvedev assured them that Russia supports and will guarentee any decision they make about their future.

Sergei Bagapsh and Edward Kokoity signed the French-led plan, secure in the knowledge that Russia backs their rejection of Tbilisi’s rule. The two regions declared independence in the early 1990s, but no state has ever officially recognised them.

South Ossetia wants to join the Russian Federation alongside North Ossetia, while Abkhazia demands complete independence.