Foreign relations of South Ossetia the third UN member state to recognize South Ossetia. The militant Palestinian organization Hamas also welcomed the recognition of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia. South Ossetia does not belong to any international organizations as of March 2009 besides the Community for Democracy and Human Rights. Foreign relations of South Ossetia The Republic of South Ossetia is a self-proclaimed state which is recognized by Russia, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria, Nauru, Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Transnistria. South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in 1991, but did not receive recognition from any UN member states until after the 2008 South Ossetia war. Abkhazia and
Russia–South Ossetia relations recognition was condemned by the European Union, United States, NATO, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, amongst others, with some calling for Russia to rescind its recognition. Many high level Russian politicians including Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, Deputy Prime Minister Sergey Ivanov, Chairman of the State Duma Boris Gryzlov, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov, Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations Vitaly Churkin and Permanent Representative of Russia to NATO Dmitry Rogozin, rejected the criticism, and have stated that Russian recognition of South Ossetia is irreversible. In an interview to Vesti in August