South Ossetia, Abkhazia ask Italy, San Marino for recognition
TSKHINVALI. Nov 12 (Interfax) - South Ossetia and Abkhazia have asked Italy and San Marino for recognition as independent states, South Ossetian Foreign Minister David Sanakoyev told Interfax on Tuesday.
The minister said he paid a working visit to Italy on November 8.
"We had a number of meetings with politicians and public figures of that country and touched upon issues of mutual interest," he said.
The foreign ministers of South Ossetia and Abkhazia officially requested the governments of Italy and the Republic of San Marino to recognize the independence of their countries at a joint press conference in Rome, Sanakoyev continued.
"Relevant letters were sent to Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and the Captain Regents of San Marino in early October 2013," the minister said.
He stressed that South Ossetia and Abkhazia had been advancing towards international recognition and that the process was irreversible.