MOSCOW, April 16: Russia announced on Wednesday it had decided to establish legal links with neighbouring Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a move Georgia condemned as a breach of international law.

The step was likely to create a new irritant in relations between Russia and Western states, which are closely allied to Georgia and suspect Russia of trying to punish the small Caucasus state for its bid to join NATO.

In an instruction released by Russia’s foreign ministry, President Vladimir Putin ordered his government to recognise some documents issued by the separatist authorities and cooperate with them on trade and other issues.

“The main motivating factor for all our actions in this field is care for the interests of the people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, including the Russian citizens living there,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

“Our actions ... do not mean that Russia is making a choice in favour of confrontation with Georgia,” it said.

After Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili chaired an emergency session of his security council, Foreign Minister David Bakradze said Russia’s move amounted to a “legalisation of the de facto annexation process” being conducted by Russia.

“That is against all the norms of international law and the Georgian side will do whatever it can do in order to bring diplomatic, political and legal response to this policy,” Mr Bakradze, who was speaking in English, said.

Georgia has accused Moscow of creeping annexation of the rebel territories since they threw off Tbilisi’s control in fighting in the 1990s.

State Department spokesman Sean McCormack reiterated US backing for Georgia, saying its commitment to the country’s territorial integrity was “unshakeable”.

European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana discussed the Russian announcement with Saakashvili.

“Mr Saakashvili called Mr Solana and expressed his concern about this development, in particular because of the unilateral nature of the decision by the Russians,” Solana’s spokeswoman Cristina Gallach said.

“Mr Solana emphasised once again that territorial integrity is very important and that he is concerned about this situation. Mr Solana said such issues should be solved through dialogue,” she said.

NATO LINK: Mr Putin’s order made no mention of recognising the two regions’ claims for independence from Georgia. Diplomats say Moscow is unlikely to grant diplomatic recognition because it is wary of fomenting separatism inside its own borders.Mr Putin did though instruct his government to recognise businesses and organisations registered under Abkhaz and South Ossetian law, and to look at providing consular services to residents in the two regions.

Moscow already has close informal ties with Abkhazia and South Ossetia: it provides financial assistance and has issued most of the regions’ residents with Russian passports.

Moscow announced the new links two weeks after NATO angered Russia by agreeing at a summit in Bucharest that Georgia would be allowed to join the alliance, though it did not give a timetable for membership.

The announcement by Moscow of closer ties could also stoke Western concern that Russia is using the breakaway regions to retaliate for the recognition of Kosovo independence, which the Kremlin fiercely opposed.

Abkhazia’s separatist foreign minister, Sergei Shamba, said Mr Putin’s order was a step towards independence for his region, a stretch of land on the Black Sea coast. “In effect, Abkhazia is in the final straight before the finishing line, beyond which lies the recognition of our independence,” Interfax news agency quoted him as saying.—Reuters