Russia sets up diplomatic ties with Georgia regions

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia on Tuesday established official diplomatic relations with the separatist regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

"We have exchanged notes on the establishment of diplomatic relations and these relations are established at the embassy level," Lavrov said at a news briefing after talks with the separatist foreign ministers.

Moscow officially recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states after Russian troops fought a brief war last month with Georgia. Nicaragua has been the only other country to recognize their independence from Georgia.

(Reporting by Conor Sweeney, writing by James Kilner; Editing by Dominic Evans)