Abkhazia has decried Nauru’s decision to sever ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia 17 years after recognising their independence. Abkhazia’s Foreign Ministry issued its statement on the matter on Wednesday, the day Tbilisi — and not Nauru — announced that Nauru had withdrawn its recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It claimed that Nauru was subject to ‘unceremonious political blackmail and brutal diplomatic pressure’ for its recognition of Abkhazia. Nauru, a tiny island country in the South Pacific Ocean with a population of around 12,000, recognised Abkhazia and South Ossetia in December 2009. Only four UN member states now recognise Abkhazia and South Ossetia: Russia, Syria, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.