Riga  - Georgian Foreign Minister Grigol Vashadze accused Russia of a catalogue of crimes in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia Thursday, including ethnic cleansing, rape and religious persecution.

Speaking after a meeting in Riga with Latvian Foreign Minister Maris Riekstins, Vashadze said Russia had "just finished a third wave of ethnic cleansing there" and continued to conduct "gross violations of human rights" including abduction, rape, extortion and seizure of property.

Georgian priests and monks had recently been expelled from monasteries in Abkhazia, Vashadze claimed, adding that incidents were not confined to what he called the former autonomous republics.

Asked by the German Press Agency dpa if he believed ethnic cleansing was continuing, Vashadze said Abkhazia was "one hundred per cent cleansed" of Georgians.

"Basically there is nobody left to cleanse there," he said.

Both Vashadze and Riekstins said they regretted Russia's decision to veto the extension of a mandate for observers from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to operate in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Riekstins also questioned the relevance of international organizations such as the OSCE, EU and NATO if they failed to follow through on their commitments to support Georgia.

"The credibility of these organizations is at stake," he said. (dpa)