MOSCOW. Dec 29 (Interfax) - Peace and stability are key goals of the Russian policy in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The recognition of the new independent states by as many countries as possible is not that important, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told the Vesti news channel on Monday.

"We do not have such a goal (as the recognition of South Ossetia and Abkhazia) by other countries. We aimed to rescue those people, to ensure regional peace and stability, to prevent new attempts of suppressing the will of South Ossetian and Abkhaz peoples by force and treating them with disrespect or even with contempt," Lavrov said.

Russia insists on the fulfillment of the Medvedev-Sarkozy plan, "which was signed shortly after the Caucasian crisis, immediately after the end of the peace enforcement operation vs. Georgia," he said. "This plan must be fulfilled impeccably."

Lavrov regretted that "the Georgian side was far from fulfilling its commitment of sending troops back to barracks."

Russia draws attention of monitors in Georgia to this situation, he said.

"The Caucasian crisis was another proof of the failure of the current European security architecture. This system is patchy and focused on NATO. None of the mechanisms formed within this security architecture is operational," he said.

The joint work of Presidents Dmitry Medvedev and Nicolas Sarkozy "this August, September and November, at the Russia-EU Nice summit, considerably built up the potential of our interaction with the European Union," Lavrov said.

As for the recognition of Kosovo by many countries, he said, "Kosovo has been a geopolitical project from the very start. Thus, a key goal of its authors was the coercion of as many countries as possible into the recognition of this 'independent' territory."

Lavrov said he knew well what was the price of the recognition of Kosovo and "what torments they (the countries that eventually recognized Kosovo] had experienced when they said no and then changed their mind because it was much harder to explain why they did not want to do that."

Russia "did not have geopolitical plans" in the case of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, he said. "Our only goal was the rescue of civilians and Russian citizens, including our peacekeepers, from the brutal aggression that trampled upon every international law and every peace settlement commitment of (Georgian President Mikheil) Saakashvili," he said.

"It is obvious now that (the Georgian attack on South Ossetia) was a provocation targeted primarily against Russia and organized in a geopolitical region of our key priority, the CIS," Lavrov said.

The provocation "aimed to create irritants and keep Russia and its neighbors under permanent strain, while holding a policy infringing the Russian interests," he said.

Russia supports the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh problem, Lavrov said. He expressed hope that the recent Moscow meeting of the Azeri and Armenian leaders with the Russian president would result in a breakthrough. The Moscow declaration of the three presidents was the first document signed between the Armenian and Azeri leaders after the Karabakh conflict, the minister remarked.

"There have been positive changes in the Transdniestrian settlement. Contacts between the Moldovan president and the Transdniestrian leader have resumed thanks to the insistent efforts of Russia," he said.