Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian criticized Georgia for trying to resolve the South Ossetian conflict with force, but said Yerevan had no intention of recognizing the two breakaway regions.

“Today one sometimes wonders why Armenia doesn't recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,” RFE/RL Armenian service quoted Sarkisian as saying at an annual meeting with Armenian diplomats on September 3. “The answer is simple: for the same reason that it did not recognize Kosovo’s independence. Having the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenia can not recognize another entity in the same situation as long as it has not recognized the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.”

“Naturally, we are interested in a rapid and peaceful resolution of Georgia’s problems and the establishment of lasting peace there,” he added. Landlocked Armenia carries out 70% of its foreign trade via Georgia.

Armenia is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which also includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A CSTO leaders summit will be opened in Moscow on September 5, with South Ossetia and Abkhazia expected to be high on the agenda.