WASHINGTON, May 10 (UPI) -- The United States and Russia have discussed the importance of Georgia's territorial integrity, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday.
"We've had good discussions with the Russians over the years, but also when we were in Moscow, about the importance of Georgian territorial integrity and the move for a unified Georgia," Rice told Georgia's Imedi TV during an interview. The U.S. State Department released the transcript of the interview in Washington.
Georgia is trying to rein in the breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and accuses Russia of hampering that effort. Rice said the international community had a role in both conflicts.
"In South Ossetia, for instance, at times the (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) has been involved," she said. "In Abkhazia, the United Nations has a role to play.
Rice said a politically and economically stronger Georgia would stand a greater chance of reining in the breakaway regions, but she added, "These are issues that need to be resolved politically and diplomatically."
