Abkhazia–South Ossetia relations Abkhazia–South Ossetia relations Abkhazia–South Ossetia relations are bilateral foreign relations between the Republic of Abkhazia and the Republic of South Ossetia, whose international status is disputed - they are both considered part of Georgia by the majority of the world's states. Abkhazia and South Ossetia recognized each other's independence by signing of treaty of friendship and cooperation or before. On 19 September 2005, a day before the 15th anniversary of South Ossetia's independence, President Sergei Bagapsh of Abkhazia and President Eduard Kokoity of South Ossetia signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation in Tskhinvali. The treaty was ratified by South
Russia–South Ossetia relations on the night of 7 to 8 August 2008, the Georgian military launched an offensive on Tskhinval, the South Ossetian capital. The leader of Georgian peacekeepers in South Ossetia said the purpose was to "restore constitutional order" in the region. The majority of the inhabitants of South Ossetia hold Russian citizenship, and Russia citing Chapter VII Article 51 of the United Nations Charter sent troops into South Ossetia through the Roki Tunnel in the morning of 8 August. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, in noting the deaths of Russian peacekeepers and South Ossetian civilians, stated: "In accordance with the Constitution and