Moscow recognized the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent after a 2008 war with Georgia. It has deployed thousands of soldiers in both regions and provided them with extensive financial support.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Salkaliani was quoted by the TASS news agency as saying: “Of course talk of holding any kind of referendum (in South Ossetia) is unacceptable… when that area of Georgia is occupied.”
An MP from the ruling Georgian Dream party, Beka Davituliani, said South Ossetia’s plans were a provocation, Interfax news agency reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he could not comment on South Ossetia’s plans.
“No legal or other action has been taken in this regard,” he said. “But at the same time we treat the opinions of the people of South Ossetia with respect.”
Georgia’s other breakaway region, Abkhazia on the Black Sea coast, said it supports South Ossetia’s aspirations but does not share its goal of joining Russia.
“Russia is our strategic partner, a dear and close state, but we in the republic (Abkhazia) have no intention of joining the Russian Federation,” Speaker of Parliament Valery Kvarchia told Interfax.
Moscow has used diplomatic recognition as a tool to maintain an armed presence in breakaway regions of the former Soviet Union, which it considers part of its sphere of influence.
In Ukraine, Russia’s long-standing support for armed separatists in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk gave the country a platform to launch a full-scale invasion on February 24. Moscow calls its military action in Ukraine a “special operation”.