President Margvelashvili opens up about relations with Russia

A meeting between Georgian leaders and Russian Presidents Vladimir Purtin will be discussed in great detail, said Georgia’s President Giorgi Margvelashvili. 

The country’s leader said the issue of his meeting with the Russian president would be discussed at a meeting between Georgian PM’s special representative Zurab Abashidze and Russia’s deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Gregory Karasin.  

Margvelashvili spoke about his sights of Georgia-Russia relations on Rustavi 2 TV channel last night. 

He suggested the meeting between the two countries’ Presidents would encourage peaceful and rational discussions about problematic issues. 

"We should talk to find a way out of the current situation. Georgia does not discuss solutions to the problems regarding Abkhazia and South Ossetia in a military way. We want to show the people that we are ready to speak with the Russian side and rationally discuss what the Russian interest could be. We want to show that Russia’s current situation is in no way beneficial for Russia and not beneficial for Abkhazians and Ossetians left beyond the barbed wire fences. We need to talk about highly sensitive issues,” Margvelashvili stated. 

He was satisfied that the hysteria, controversy, emotion and use of weapons were removed in relation with Russia, and the fact that Georgia had participated in the Sochi Olympics contributed to this process as well.

"As for the barbed wire fences, this is a step against our effective policy. They are [working] against our population in Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region who try to move to us and nothing else,” Margvelashvili suggested. 

He added Georgia would follow‘good-neighbourly’ policies but only after territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country was recognized.  

In addition, he said Georgia would not consider itself as a "discomforting factor” for Russia in the future.