SUKHUMI. June 1 (Interfax) - The Republic of Vanuatu and Abkhazia have established diplomatic relations, the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry told Interfax.
"Being guided by international law, a nation's right to self-determination, and the principles of the 1933 Montevideo Convention on Rights and Duties of States, the governments of the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of Vanuatu have made the decision to establish diplomatic relations," the Abkhaz Foreign Ministry said.
It explained the establishment of diplomatic relations between Abkhazia and Vanuatu by "the realities of the modern geopolitical world, in which mutually advantageous cooperation will be based on the development of economic, cultural, and other relations between the peoples of Vanuatu and Abkhazia."
"The government of the Republic of Abkhazia welcomes this important, historic, and bold step by the government of the Republic of Vanuatu, which should add a new incentive to the development of cooperation with the countries of the Pacific region," it said.
As Abkhaz Foreign Minister Maxim Gvindzhia told Interfax, "By making this decision in spite of international pressure, the Republic of Vanuatu has made a contribution to peace and security in the Caucasus region."
The Republic of Vanuatu is an island nation located in the southern part of the Pacific Ocean about 1,750 kilometers east of Australia, 500 kilometers northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji and southeast of the Solomon Islands. Its historic name is the New Hebrides. The country's population as of 2008 was 215,446 people.