South Ossetia, which seceded from Georgia after the collapse of the Soviet Union and a bloody conflict with Tbilisi in 1991, will hold a referendum to obtain international recognition of its independent status. Two previous referendums - in 1992 and in 2001 - failed to attain that goal.
The breakaway region has also stated its desire to join the neighboring Russian republic of North Ossetia, with which it is ethnically and historically connected. The majority of people in South Ossetia already hold Russian passports, and the ruble is widely used.
"Georgia will not recognize the legitimacy of such undertakings," the ministry said. "The idea behind 'referendums' and 'elections' in the conflict zone is separatist in essence, and it does not take into account the interests of the region's entire population. Translating this idea into life would deepen mistrust between the parties to the conflict."
The United States, the European Union, and other international organizations have consistently refused to recognize the post-Soviet breakaway regions' independence, although advocating broad autonomy for them.
Russia, which has repeatedly said it does not want Georgia's territories, claims however that recognizing the sovereignty of Kosovo - sought by the Albanian majority in the Serbian region - would serve as a precedent for legalizing the independent status of other separatist regions in former Soviet republics.
