On Tuesday, the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia were officially backed by a second country, namely the Republic of Nicaragua. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, expressed support for Russia and said that the Russians were right to defend the breakaway republics militarily and to recognize their independence. Ortega went on to criticize the "hegemonic politics" of NATO countries "who want to surround Russia militarily".

Russia's diplomatic efforts to secure support from other states for Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence have come to fruition for the first time. Russia had previously asked fellow Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, and members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), which includes several SCO members plus Armenia, to recognize the two republics. But for the time being, few states want to commit. There could be more surprises like Nicaragua in store, however: Belarus, Venezuela and Cuba, have all expressed support for the republics without officially recognizing their independence.

The future of the two breakaway republics in Georgia is gradually being redefined after more than 15 years of "de facto" independence without official recognition from the international community. Every state that acknowledges Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence will strengthen the breakaway republics, but fairly few countries are likely to do so. Nevertheless, Abkhazia and South Ossetia have already been recognized by more states than the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, which only enjoys Turkish support. Meanwhile, Western Sahara is recognized by 45 states and Kosovo by 46.

Further information:

• NouvelObs.com: Le Nicaragua reconnait l'Ossétie et l'Abkhazie
• RussiaToday: Nicaragua recognises new Caucasus states
• Nationalia: Russia recognizes Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states