In an interview with AIF on August 23, Dmitry Medvedev, Russian Deputy Security Council Chief, said that the idea of joining Russia is still popular in [the separatist] Abkhazia and South Ossetia [Tskhinvali Region].

"We do not need a repetition of the history of 2008. We are still ready to solve problems at the negotiating table in the spirit of the UN Charter. But if our concerns take real shape, we will not hesitate. In Abkhazia and South Ossetia, the idea of joining Russia is still popular. And it may well be realized if there are good reasons for it," Medvedev said.

He recalled that Russia stopped the offensive against Tbilisi when they achieved the elimination of threats and security guarantees in 2008. "But now the situation is being actively escalated again - apparently to create another hotbed of tension near our borders in addition to the Ukrainian flank. There is again talk of Georgia's possible admission to NATO. As if by order, outbursts of Russophobia have begun in this country," he added. "For the West, this turn of events will be another shameful fiasco and another symbol of a catastrophic loss of influence," Medvedev warned.

On the same day, Mikheil Sarjveladze, the Chair of the Georgian Parliament's Committee on Human Rights, said statements and actions incompatible with the principle of territorial integrity of Georgia were categorically unacceptable and illegitimate. 

"Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity are recognized by the entire civilized international community, and Georgia's stance in this direction is unwavering and unequivocal. This means that any statement or action that would be incompatible with the priority of territorial integrity of Georgia is categorically unacceptable and illegitimate," Sarjveladze said. The parliament official also stressed that the Georgian government would unwaveringly continue the struggle for the de-occupation, adding that the country would be able to fulfill the historical justice of peaceful reintegration with Georgian citizens living in the Russian-occupied territories.