Georgia said on Thursday that plans by the Russian-backed breakaway region of South Ossetia to hold a referendum on joining Russia were unacceptable, while the Kremlin stressed that no action had been taken to make that happen.
Moscow recognized the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent after a war with Georgia in 2008. It has stationed thousands of troops in both regions and provided them with extensive financial support.
Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani was quoted as saying by the TASS news agency: “Of course talking about holding a referendum (in South Ossetia) is unacceptable…when this area in Georgia is occupied.”
A lawmaker from the Georgian Dream ruling party, Beka Davituliani, said South Ossetia’s plans amounted to provocation, Interfax news agency reported.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters he could not comment on South Ossetia’s plans.
“No legal or other measures have been taken in this regard,” he said. “But at the same time, we treat the expression of the people of South Ossetia with respect.”
Georgia’s other breakaway region, Abkhazia on the Black Sea coast, said it supported South Ossetia’s ambitions but did not share its goal of joining Russia.
“Russia is our strategic partner, a dear and close-knit state, but we in the republic (of Abkhazia) do not intend to join the Russian Federation,” parliament speaker 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 that it sees as 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 it a platform to launch a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24. Moscow calls its military action in Ukraine a ‘special operation’.
