Azernews.Az

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has defied Russia, pounding a wave of criticism on President Vladimir Putin, in an indication of a new tide of tensions in the relations between the Western-leaning former Soviet republic and the Kremlin.
Saakashvili was angered with the letters sent by Putin to the leaders of the unrecognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
In an interview with a local TV channel, he described Putin's move as "unbethought, unacceptable and dangerous". He said it posed a threat to Russia in the first place.
Saakashvili went on to label the South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoytan as "a street criminal".
As for Abkhazia, he said over a million people had been ousted from the region.
Georgian Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze has also expressed disappointment, saying the Russian leader "aligned himself" with the separatist leaders.
Putin's letter was in response to those by the leaders of the self-styled republics. The two had informed Putin of what they called "an aggressive course" allegedly pursued by the Georgian government.
They said Georgia's admission to NATO would encourage Tbilisi to settle the outstanding conflicts by any means.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has said Putin shared the concerns cited by the leaders of both Georgian republics.
"The president said the support to South Ossetia and Abkhazia will assume not a declarative but a concrete shape in the future," it said in a statement.