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| Georgia breaks ties with Russia | Georgia breaks ties with Russia |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Georgia has decided to cut diplomatic ties with Russia, days after Moscow recognised the independence of Georgia's two breakaway regions. | Georgia has decided to cut diplomatic ties with Russia, days after Moscow recognised the independence of Georgia's two breakaway regions. |
| Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said his ministry had received its instructions and "the final decision has been made". | Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze said his ministry had received its instructions and "the final decision has been made". |
| The move came after another day of heated exchanges over the provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia. | The move came after another day of heated exchanges over the provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia. |
| Russia and Georgia fought a brief war over the issue earlier this month. | Russia and Georgia fought a brief war over the issue earlier this month. |
| Georgia had already announced that it would scale back staffing at its Moscow embassy, and that its ambassador - who was withdrawn last month - would not be returning. | |
| But the Foreign Ministry now says all of its diplomats will return from the Moscow embassy "in the coming days". | |
| Georgian officials did not give any reasons for the decision, but it comes amid reports that Moscow intends to extend its involvement in the two provinces. | |
| South Ossetia's parliamentary speaker Znaur Gassiyev said Russia would absorb the region within "several years", according to a report by the Associated Press. | |
| He said the move had been agreed at high-level talks in Moscow earlier this week. | |
| The Russian Interfax news agency reported that Moscow will sign an agreement next week allowing it to set up military bases in the region. | |
| And Interfax also quoted Abkhazia's foreign minister, Sergei Shamba, as saying his province "may become part of the Union State of Russia and Belarus". | |
| The Kremlin has not yet commented on the reports. |