Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Sunday (Aug 31) he will not change the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states, pledging military and economic aid to the two Georgian breakaway regions.

"The current task of Russia is the provision of peace and tranquility. We have made a decision, and this decision is irreversible," local media quoted him as saying on Moscow's recognition over the self-proclaimed independence of the two Caucasus regions.

"From the juridical point of view, new states have emerged. The process of their recognition may take a rather long time, but our position will be invariable," he said during interviews by local TV channels.

Medvedev signed decrees last Tuesday for the recognition, following military conflicts with Georgia in South Ossetia which broke out on Aug. 8 when Tbilisi sent in troops to reclaim control of the region that was run by Russian and Georgian peacekeepers.

"The recognition of independent Abkhazia and South Ossetia by other states "is a different question," Medvedev said at his presidential residence in the Black Sea sort Sochi.

Russia's ties with the West were in strain due to the situation in the Caucasus region, where Georgia is bidding for NATO membership and Russia is against that.

"In general we do not advocate sanctions and apply them only in exceptional cases ... If need be we can pass such laws (that allows sanctions)," said Medvedev on the eve of a European Union summit that was called by the French EU presidency in a bid to formulate a response to the Georgia-Russia conflict.

Related news: Georgia says cutting ties with Russia its only choice

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said on Sunday his country had "no other choice" but to cut ties with Russia after Moscow recognized the independence of two breakaway Georgian regions.

"This was a difficult decision, but Georgia had no other choice than that," Saakashvili was quoted by the Caucasus Press news agency as saying.

Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said on Friday that Georgia was cutting diplomatic ties with Moscow to protest Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's decision to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Georgia on Saturday imposed visa restrictions on Russian citizens.

Saakashvili set Russian troop withdrawal from Georgia as a precondition for "constructive and peaceful cooperation" with Russia and said the cooperation needs to be based on "respect for Georgia's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity."

Georgia, a former Soviet republic in the Caucasus, has long been at odds with Russia over the two breakaway territories and angered Moscow with its bid to join NATO.

Earlier this month, Georgia sent in troops to reclaim South Ossetia, which borders Russia, triggering a military counter-offensive from Russia. The conflict ended with a ceasefire agreement between Tbilisi and Moscow brokered by France.

Russia has said its troops remaining in Georgia are serving on a peacekeeping mission agreed in the ceasefire deal. Georgian parliament has declared Russian troops in Georgia as "occupying forces."

European Union (EU) leaders will convene on Monday for an emergency EU summit, called by the French EU presidency in a bid to formulate a response to the Georgia-Russia conflict.

U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney will visit Georgia on Tuesday in a show of support for Tbilisi.

Related news: Putin says Russia acts "correctly" in S Ossetia

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said on Sunday that his country acted "correctly, morally and in accordance with international law" on the South Ossetia issue, local media reported.

"The truth is on our side. We act absolutely correctly, morally and in accordance with international law," Putin said in an interview with Russia's Vesti-24 television.

Earlier this month, Georgia sent in troops to reclaim its breakaway region of South Ossetia, triggering a military counter-offensive by Russia. The conflict ended with a ceasefire agreement between Tbilisi and Moscow brokered by France.

Russia recognized the self-proclaimed independence of South Ossetia and another Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia last Tuesday, aggravating tensions between Moscow and the West.

"Someone in Europe wants to serve someone else's foreign-policy interests," said the former Russian president, who took a hardline policy towards the West in the last years of his eight-year presidency.

Georgia, a former Soviet republic, has long been at odds with Russia over its two breakaway regions, Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and its own bids to join NATO and the European Union.

Editor: 张莹