Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has signed a law on ratifying treaties with the former Georgian republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on joint border protection, the Kremlin press office said on Monday.
Under the deals, South Ossetia and Abkhazia delegate to Russia the authority to secure their borders with Georgia.
Russia recognized the independence of the former Georgian republics in August 2008 after repelling Georgia's assault on South Ossetia in a five-day war. Only Nicaragua, Venezuela and the tiny Pacific island state of Nauru have followed suit.
The deals stipulate cooperation with Russia in state border protection, the struggle against terrorism, the smuggling of arms, ammunition, explosives and poisonous substances, radioactive materials, illegal movement of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and their precursors across the border.
The deals say that Russia will protect the borders of South Ossetia and Abkhazia until the republics build their own border guard services.
The three countries have said the accords are not aimed against any other country.
MOSCOW, April 5 (RIA Novosti)
