Putin: Russia does not want S. Ossetia

SOCHI, Russia, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- Russia has no plans to add South Ossetia and Abkhazia to its territory, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said.

Putin said Thursday the government respects the sovereignty of neighboring countries, the Novosti news agency reported. Russia is the only country to recognize the independence of the two breakaway Georgian regions.

The prime minister attended a meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club in Sochi, a Black Sea resort.

Also Thursday, South Ossetian President Eduard Kokoity said his country would unite with North Ossetia and become part of the Russian Federation. He backtracked quickly when Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Warsaw that South Ossetia wants to remain independent, The Times of London reported.

Georgia and its allies, including the United States, would regard any move to incorporate South Ossetia into Russia as annexation of Georgian territory.

Abkhaz President Sergei Bagapsh said his country has no desire to join the Russian Federation, Novosti said.