Georgia expels all Russian diplomats

Friday 29th August, 2008

Georgia has broken off diplomatic ties with Moscow and ordered Russian diplomats to leave Tbilisi.

Georgia's Deputy Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze has said it would be awkward to have a diplomatic relationship with Russia, while Russia sets up diplomatic relations with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Georgia is ...

Russia has said the move will not help ease the crisis between the two caused by the five-day war earlier this month.

Russian foreign ministry officials have said Russia will have no choice but to follow suit and close its embassy in Tbilisi.

Georgia's parliament on Thursday called for the government to cut diplomatic ties with Moscow over Russia's occupation of Georgian territory.

Lawmakers unanimously approved a resolution that orders the executive power to cut diplomatic ties with the Russian Federation.

It also said that Russian armed forces, including so-called peacekeepers, would be declared as occupying forces.

Georgia had already pulled all but two of its diplomats from its embassy in Moscow earlier in the week.