Medvedev defies West with South Ossetia visit

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian President Dmitry Medvedev flew to the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia on Monday for his first visit since last year's war, ignoring a plea by Washington to respect Georgia's borders.

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, whose government claims the region, described the visit as an "immoral gesture."

Medvedev was greeted by thousands of cheering supporters in the regional capital Tskhinvali. He held talks with regional leader Eduard Kokoity, inspected military hardware at a Russian military base and promised economic and military aid.

"I want to express my gratitude for inviting me to visit this new country ... which appeared as a result of difficult, dramatic events," Medvedev told Kokoity in televised comments.

"I think that this first short visit by a Russian president will create a foundation for... friendly relations."

Russia recognised South Ossetia and the rebel Georgian region of Abkhazia as independent countries after its army repelled a Georgian attempt to retake South Ossetia in a five-day war last August.

Only Nicaragua followed Moscow in recognizing the regions' independence and Georgia's Western partners have said recognition would violate Georgia's internationally recognised borders.

During talks in Moscow last week, U.S. President Barack Obama asked Medvedev to respect Georgia's territorial integrity in a clear reference to South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

Speaking to journalists in Turkey on Monday, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili described Medvedev's visit as "a shameful and immoral stain" on the Russian leadership.