MOSCOW. Aug 26 (Interfax) - Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev has had a phone call with the presidents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, in which he reiterated Russia's determination to develop allied bilateral relations.
"On August 26, Medvedev had a phone call with President Aslan Bzhania of the Republic of Abkhazia and President Alan Gagloyev of South Ossetia. Medvedev congratulated the heads of the republics, the Abkhaz and South Ossetian peoples, on the 16th anniversary of the recognition of Abkhazia's and South Ossetia's independence by Russia, which predetermined substantial successes of these countries in state and socioeconomic development," the Russian Security Council secretariat said.
During the conversation, the parties "reaffirmed their determination to continue developing Russian-Abkhaz and Russian-South Ossetian relations in the spirit of allied and strategic partnership and acknowledged that relations between the parties were an important factor of stability and security in the South Caucasus."
The parties also discussed relevant aspects of bilateral interaction in various fields, it said.