MOSCOW. Nov 14 (Interfax-AVN) - Moscow calls on Georgia and western states not to underestimate the importance of the South Ossetian referendum on independence and presidential elections.
"Like it or not, but we face the declaration of the free will of South Ossetians, demonstrated in the course of democratic procedures. No matter how hard Georgia or a number of western states may try to scale down the importance of the event, it nevertheless is a crucial milestone. It would be short-sighted at the very least to ignore the event," the Russian Foreign Ministry Information Department said, commenting on the results of the South Ossetian presidential elections and independence referendum.