U.S. Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez was due to visit the country at the end of September, but on Tuesday Robert Callahan announced, "The secretary's office said that now is not an appropriate moment for the visit because circumstances have changed."
Nicaragua became the first country, after Russia, to recognize the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia last week. No other countries have recognized Georgia's breakaway regions.
When asked by journalists whether there was a link between President Daniel Ortega's decision to recognize the rebel regions and Gutierrez pulling out of the trip, Callahan gave no direct response and repeated the U.S. stance on Georgia.
"We have publicly said regarding the Russian occupation of these two entities and the Russian recognition, that this is a violation of some of the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council," he said.
Russia recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia on August 26, two weeks after it had concluded its operation "to force Georgia to peace." The operation came in response to an attack by Georgian forces on breakaway South Ossetia on August 8.
