In March this year, Russian lawmakers recommended that 'missions' be opened in the two territories, sparking a furious response from Georgia, which accuses the Kremlin of trying to annex the territories. Georgian media reported that a mission would be opened in Abkhazia on Wednesday and in South Ossetia on July 9.
"Unfortunately this is not true. There are no such plans for the coming days," Abkhazia's Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba told RIA Novosti.
However, "The issue of opening a Russian Foreign Ministry office is on the table, in line with the Russian president's order on providing targeted help to the populations of Abkhazia and South Ossetia."
Murat Dzhioyev, the foreign minister of South Ossetia, said: "Frankly speaking, the Georgian media reports come as news to me. I have no information that on July 9 a Russian representative office will be opened on our territory." However, he said that discussions on the issue are ongoing.
Relations between Russia and Georgia have been strained since Russia stepped up support for the breakaway Georgian republics in April. The pro-Western government of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said it is determined to bring the breakaway regions back under its control, while Moscow says Tbilisi's policies could lead to new bloodshed.
