WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Kirby said in a statement on Tuesday that the US "strongly opposes" the Russian Federation’s ratification of an agreement secured with the de facto leaders in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia regarding a joint military force.
The United States’ continued to insist that Abkhazia and South Ossetia were integral parts of Georgia, he stated.
"We do not recognize the legitimacy of this so-called ‘treaty’ which does not constitute a valid international agreement," Kirby added.
NATO and Georgia held a joint military exercise from November 10 to November 20 at the Joint Training and Evaluation Center (JTEC) near Tbilisi involving more than 250 troops from 13 NATO member states.
Russia warned the activity constituted a serious threat to stability and peace in the region.