Grigory Karasin: ‘We have no forbidden topics with Georgia.’
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The Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin stated that Russia is ready to have visa talks with Zurab Abashidze, the Georgian Prime Ministers Special Representative for Relations with Russia.
"We have no forbidden topics with Georgia. We will discuss everything that we consider important. We are planning to discuss visa questions. Our meeting has to take place at the beginning of the next year. Naturally, we will carry out the full review of those problems which remain, and those results which we have reached. We liberalized a visa regime concerning citizens of Georgia enough already. said Grigory Karasin.
According to Zurab Abashidze, the relationship with the Northern neighbor of Georgia is going slowly, but positively, although the Georgian government and Kremlin have controversial points of view about Georgias territorial integrity.
"Its better to have a very hard dialog with the Russian government, than to have confrontations with them, which we had in previous years, before the Parliamentary Elections 2012. said Zurab Abashidze.
The meeting between Grigory Karasin and Zurab Abashidze will be held in Prague in February of 2014.
The Presidents adviser for Foreign Affairs, Vano Machavariani emphasized that The talks between Karasin and Abashidze achieved its maximum level.
According to the Georgian State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Alexi Petriashvili, the relations normalization with Russia cant be an obstacle for Georgias European integration.
According to the Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov, the lawyers will study the question of a visa-free regime of Russia with Georgia.
"We would like to remove all obstacles for communication of our citizens. Thats our principled position concerning any country. We support removal of all barriers and restrictions. Nevertheless, for this purpose it is necessary to define some basic, legal things. In the legal aspect, we have no diplomatic relations. In the legal aspect, Georgia still considers that Abkhazia and South Ossetia as its territory. These questions unavoidably will arise during the discussions between Georgia and Russia. said Sergey Lavrov.
Russia entered a visa regime with Georgia in December, 2000 because of threat of a hit on its territory at the Pankisi Gorge.
Russia claims it is doing its best to improve relationships between Georgian and Russian people but says it can’t move forward because of a staunch Georgian Government.
The Sochi Olympic Games could be the most difficult competition the Georgian team could ever participate in, says Zurab Abashidze, the Georgian Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Relations with Russia.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt does not believe it is necessary for the European Union (EU) to be involved in a Georgia-Russia meeting about the possible impacts of the Association Agreement (AA).
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the US Helsinki Commission, which is an independent agency of the US government, has held a hearing about the illegalities committed by Russia on Georgian territory.