Terry Davis, the secretary-general of the Council of Europe (CoE), and Lluís Maria de Puig, the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), have both condemned Russia’s decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“The unilateral recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by the Russian Federation violates the territorial integrity of a fellow Council of Europe member state. It jeopardizes prospects for a negotiated settlement of the dispute about the future status of these two regions,” Davis said. “The ultimate victim of this decision is the international credibility of the Russian Federation. The Russians cannot invoke international law only when they feel like it.”

De Puig said Russia’s move was “a clear and deliberate violation of international law,” which “consciously flouts a basic principle of the Council of Europe.”

“When it became a member of the Council of Europe, Russia promised to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of its neighbors. With today's announcement, that promise is in tatters,” the PACE president said.