Russia signs S.Ossetia, Abkhazia treaties

MOSCOW, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed friendship and mutual assistance treaties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Kremlin officials said Monday.

The signings came after the lower house of parliament, the State Duma, ratified the treaties Oct. 29 and the upper house, the Federation Council, did the same Nov. 12, RIA Novosti reported.

Russia recognized the breakaway Georgian republics as independent countries shortly after it ended its military conflict with Tblisi, which the Kremlin says began when Georgia invaded South Ossetia. Most residents of the republics have held Russian citizenship since the 1990s.

The friendship treaties state that Russia will help the republics protect their borders and gives Russia the right to establish military bases on their territories, the news service said.