US recognizes Georgia's integrity, sovereignty, and borders

The US has called on Russia "to withdraw from Abkhazia and South Ossetia - Georgian separatist territories whose independence Moscow recognized ten years ago."

Beta agency is reporting this, citing AFP.

"These regions on part of Georgia. They are not part of Russia and the United States continues to support Georgia's sovereignty, its independence and also its territorial integrity within the internationally recognized borders," said US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert.

She added that the US was urging Russia to "pull out its forces into positions determined by the 2008 ceasefire agreement."

Moscow and Tbilisi have long clashed over the ambitions of Georgia, a former Soviet republic located in the Caucasus region, to join the EU and NATO, which Russia sees as dangerous encroachment into own zone of influence.

Tensions turned to war in 2008, "when Georgia first launched a military operation against the pro-Russian region of South Ossetia, and Russia then intervened - within five days the Georgian army was broken and the Russian forces were at the home of Tbilisi," the report said.