December 4 saw another statement by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made in Brussels that Russia should end its recognition of the independence of the Republic of South Ossetia and the Republic of Abkhazia and withdraw its forces “from these regions of Georgia”.
The consolidated position of NATO members regarding South Ossetia and Abkhazia is well known, and similar calls, accompanying traditional statements on support for Georgia in its aspiration to join NATO, have long ago turned into a necessary ritual.