SOCHI, August 15, 2008 (AFP) - President Dmitry Medvedev on Friday said Moscow was the guarantor of security in the Caucasus region and dismissed Georgia's chances of recovering its rebel regions.

His comments came at a news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, at which the German leader insisted Georgia's territorial integrity had to be the starting point for resolving the current conflict.

'Russia, as guarantor of security in the Caucasus and the region, will make a decision that unambiguously supports the will of these two Caucasus peoples,' Medvedev said, referring to the people of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

He said he saw little chance of either rebel region rejoining Georgia after the latest violence and added that Russia would act in the same way in future to protect its citizens.

'Unfortunately after what has happened it is unlikely Ossetians and Abkhaz can live in one state with Georgians.

'If someone continues to attack our citizens, our peacekeepers, then of course we will answer just as we did,' said the Russian leader.

Medvedev added that while Russia was not opposed to bringing in other international peacekeepers, in practice such peacekeepers were distrusted by the separatist regions themselves.

'We are of course not against international peacekeepers... but the problem is that the Abkhaz and the Ossetians do not trust anyone except for Russian peacekeepers.

'Whoever undertakes the task of keeping the peace must be trusted by the suffering people,' Medvedev added.

At the tense news conference at the Russian leader's Black Sea coastal residence in Sochi the German chancellor took a contrary stance on the future of Georgia's rebel provinces.

'The starting point must naturally be Georgia's territorial integrity,' Merkel said.

'There is an elected government in Georgia with which we have to discuss and negotiate,' she said.

Merkel also said Georgia's ambitions to join NATO remained 'valid,' referring to a NATO summit in Bucharest in April at which Georgia and Ukraine were told they would be allowed to join the alliance, though at an unspecified date.

'The agreements reached in Bucharest remain valid,' Merkel said.