Tbilisi, Georgia — The Kremlin was served notice by NATO yesterday that it backed Georgia’s ambitions to join the Western Alliance, despite the continued presence of Russian troops in the country’s breakaway regions.

In a high-profile visit to Tbilisi, the Georgian capital, NATO’s secretary-general, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, condemned the Russian occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Moscow continued to insist that both regions were no longer part of Georgian territory.

He also helped Russia’s neighbor to take a significant step toward its controversial membership of NATO, saying that the launch of a new NATO-Georgia commission to coordinate the application would “function to enhance and accelerate our cooperation and integration.”

Nato is still holding back from offering Georgia a membership action plan and the issue will divide members of the Western Alliance at a summit in December.

President Saakashvili of Georgia hailed the visit as a “powerful signal” of solidarity.

Mr. de Hoop Scheffer is due to travel to the city of Gori, which was attacked by Russia last month and is near a controversial “buffer zone” guarded by Russian troops that extends into Georgia from South Ossetia.

He has also complained that Moscow’s intentions to maintain high-levels of troops in South Ossetia and Abkhazia were “not acceptable.” “Russia’s use of force was indiscriminate and Russia must now comply with all elements of the six-part peace plan,” he said.

The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, traveled to Tskhinvali, South Ossetia’s would-be capital city, to insist that the cease-fire meant the two rebel regions were no longer legally part of Georgia.

NATO countries, and the European Union, have condemned Russia’s recognition as an attempt to redraw the map of Georgia and have insisted Russia honours a deal, negotiated by President Sarkozy of France, to pull back to pre-conflict troop levels and positions.

The issue is expected to come to a head as 200 E.U. peace monitors, including “around 20” Britons, arrive in Georgia on October 1 to supervise Russian withdrawal from areas surrounding South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

The deployment of the E.U. observers is expected to pave the way for Russian troops to withdraw by October 10 to positions within the breakaway region.

The Daily Telegraph travelled behind Russian military checkpoints to occupied Georgian territory, near the South Ossetian boundary, yesterday.

In the deserted village of Tkviav, ripening fruit rotted on the trees next to deserted or burned out houses.

One man, who asked not to be identified, explained that most people have fled after South Ossetian militias killed seven people in the village.