Russia on Sunday welcomed a decision by the authorities of the former Georgian republic of South Ossetia to pardon and release two Georgian trespassers.
According to South Ossetian authorities, four teenaged Georgians were detained in the republic's capital of Tskhinvali on November 4 and charged with illegally crossing the border and carrying grenades and explosives. The teenagers are between 14 and 17 years old and were sentenced to one year in jail.
Two of the teenagers were pardoned and released already on December 3.
"Tskhinvali has demonstrated its political maturity ... and proved in reality its aspiration for stabilization of the situation in the region and constructive solution of humanitarian issues," Russia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Russia recognized the independence of the former Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in August 2008 after a five-day war with Georgia over the latter, which was attacked by Tbilisi in an attempt to bring it back under central control.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia have also been recognized by Nicaragua, Venezuela, and the tiny Pacific island nation of Nauru.
MOSCOW, December 20 (RIA Novosti)
