Russia does not intend to apologize for its actions in the recent conflict with Georgia, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said Saturday.
"We do not need to apologize to anyone, we are certain that we are right, nor are we going to argue," Putin said in an interview with the Rossiya television channel.
The Russian prime minister said cooperation between Russia and the West should not be cooled down due to the crisis in the Caucasus.
Russia has resources without which its "partners can't exist or it'll be very difficult for them," while what Russia receives from its international partners is available on many other global platforms, Putin said.
Georgia sent in troops to reclaim its breakaway region of South Ossetia on Aug. 8, triggering a military counter-offensive by Russia. The conflict ended with a cease-fire agreement between Tbilisi and Moscow brokered by France.
Russia's recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the other breakaway region of Georgia, as independent states last week has further strained its relations with the former Soviet republic.
(Xinhua News Agency September 7, 2008)
