Georgian Foreign Minister: Russia should not be allowed to foster mistrust of West

Russia should not be given a chance to create distrust towards the European and Euro-Atlantic path and western values, Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze told a group of foreign diplomats and experts in Washington, the United State on Tuesday night.

Janelidze participated in a meeting of the core group of the Munich Security Conference. He spoke at the panel ‘Russia and Eastern Europe’ and discussed the current security situation in the east of Europe and its impact on the security of Europe as a whole.

He stressed the Russian occupation of Georgian territories and talked about the challenges caused by this reality.

He also stressed the importance of the activities of the West against Russia’s "expansive policy”.

The event was attended by US executive officials, high-ranking politicians and experts from all over the world.

The discussion was moderated by the President of the Brookings Institution, former deputy secretary of state Strobe Talbott. Along with Janelidze, the panel discussion featured two other speakers, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin and distinguished fellow of the Wilson Center's Kennan Institute, former foreign minister of Russia Andrei Kozyrev.