Russia's Ambassador to Georgia, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, was summoned on Tuesday to the Georgian Foreign Ministry to give an explanation as to why people living in Abkhazia and South Ossetia will be able to vote in Sunday's Russian presidential elections.
Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia declared their independence from Georgia in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, sparking off bloody conflicts. Georgia's current leadership has been seeking to recover its influence in the separatist regions and secure international support on the issue.
Russia has hinted that it may recognize both Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the wake of Kosovo's recent unilateral declaration of independence and its subsequent recognition by the U.S. and a host of other, so far mainly Western, countries.
In Abkhazia alone, over 80% of the population holds Russian citizenship. Russia maintains they have the right to participate in the Russian electoral process.
