Moscow, Tbilisi - Georgia's Foreign Ministry on Thursday accused Russia of plotting to annex its separatist regions after Moscow said it would strengthen ties with the two self-governing areas.

"Russia has taken one more dangerous step aimed at the de facto annexation of an integral part of Georgia's territory," the foreign ministry said in a statement Thursday.

The statement appealed the "whole international community" to do everything in their power to stop Russia's "violation of Georgia's internationally recognized territorial integrity."

Georgia's president was goaded into summoning an emergency security council meeting Wednesday on news that Russia's Vladimir Putin had ordered his government to step up cooperation with the former Soviet state's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

It is the first time that Putin has personally intervened on behalf of these republics, business daily Kommersant reported Thursday.

"He set the course on integrating Abkhazia and South Ossetia into Russia," the newspaper said, describing the new order as in line with "federal interaction with Russia's regions."

Russia plans new cooperation with government agencies and businesses, including providing consular-style support Russian citizens residing in each regions.

South Ossetia leader Eduard Kokoity celebrated the move, highlighting that new relations would require that Russia recognize the legality of regional business registration and other documents "including passports, diplomas, military service record cards."

Russia officially respects Georgia's territorial integrity but has warned that Kosovo's independence from Serbia could serve as a precedent and has stepped up ties, lifting trade restriction against both regions last month.

"If Russia establishes special relations, it will be violating all existing international norms," Georgian Foreign Minister David Bakradze protested Wednesday.

The United States, which strongly backed Georgia's bid to join NATO two weeks ago, weighed in with its "unshakeable" support for maintaining Georgia's territorial integrity.

Putin's vow to increase relations with the regions is seen as a strategy to throw off Georgia's NATO bid, which it strongly opposes.

Russia's threat of embroiling NATO in a civil war in Georgia figured prominently among the arguments that led alliance members to postpone NATO's expansion ambitions.

Russian peacekeepers have been stationed in the breakaway regions since 1993. The two regions have long looked to Moscow for support in their appeal for independence and a majority of residents have been issued with Russian passports in recent years.(dpa)