Venezuela recognizes Georgian separatist regions

Venezuela’s president Hugo Chavez says his country has recognized the independence of the Georgian separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

His announcement on Thursday at the start of a meeting with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev could be a significant boost for Moscow, which recognized the regions as independent after last year’s war with Georgia.

Only Nicaragua followed suit, a tacit slap by the international community. Russia now has thousands of troops in each of the two regions.