On December 3, acting president Nino Burjanadze decried remarks made by a senior Russian MP that the State Duma may soon discuss recognizing the independence of Georgia’s breakaway regions.

Boris Gryzlov, a senior Russian MP and long-time ally of President Vladimir Putin, said at a Moscow press conference on December 2 that Russia’s newly elected parliament could start deliberating the recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as early as January.

Burjanadze expressed concern at Gryzlov’s statement, and called on the international community to “react appropriately to it.”

“We’re ready to cooperate, but establishing normal relations would be made extremely difficult in such circumstances,” she added.

The State Minister for Conflict Resolution, Davit Bakradze, underlined Georgia’s commitment to territorial integrity, and reiterated Tbilisi’s stance that recognition of independence would be tantamount to a declaration of war.

“We’d prefer to see a peaceful settlement of the conflicts, but if Russia really starts preparations for recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia, we’ll have to reconsider our position,” Bakradze said.

The exchange comes only days after the Russian and Georgian foreign ministers held sideline talks at the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers on November 29-30—the first high-level encounter between the two sides since Tbilisi accused Moscow of involvement in an alleged coup attempt on November 7.

The most recent point of contention between the two sides was Moscow’s policy of allowing Russian citizens in Abkhazia and South Ossetia to vote in the State Duma elections on December 2.

Gryzlov said the Russian parliament would be looking closely at how votes were cast in these regions. According to the South Ossetian Press and Information Committee, 82 percent of eligible voters in South Ossetia headed for the polls, the overwhelming majority of whom pledged support for Putin’s party.

“South Ossetians have voted not only for stability and peace in the Caucasus, but also for stability and peace in the whole world,” separatist leader Eduard Kokoity said on December 2.

As the December 10 deadline for a negotiated settlement over Kosovo approaches, Moscow has made stepped-up warnings that if Kosovo becomes independent, it could set a precedent for other separatist regions.