Managua - Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin Wednesday thanked Nicaragua for recognizing the breakaway Georgian provinces South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The leftist Sandinista government of President Manuel Ortega was the second country after Russia to recognize the two provinces' independence.

Sechin, who earlier this week visited Cuba and Venezuela, said Moscow wanted to renew political and economic ties with Managua after more than 20 years' interruption.

During his first presidency in the 1980s, Ortega led Nicaragua into Soviet dependence. The Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, as did Sandinista rule in Nicaragua. Since his re-election two years ago, Ortega has been working on re-establishing ties with Moscow.

Ortega justified his recognition of the two regions' independence from Georgia by saying Nicaragua identified with smaller nations who stood up against the United States.

At his visit to Venezuela, Sechin agreed to strengthen bilateral ties with the government of Hugo Chavez, a main regional opponent of the US.

Venezuela, which as been spending billions on Russian arms deals, was one of Russia's "most trusted partners," Sechin said. He also concluded agreements with Cuba on closer economic cooperation. (dpa)