Georgia-Russia envoys meet in Prague

The Georgian Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigory Karasin met in Prague, Czech Republic yesterday for what is the only format of direct Georgia-Russia dialogue.

Although the format does not include discussions of security issues, the Georgian envoy focused on the situation in the Russian occupied regions of Georgia – Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) and recent incidents along the occupation line.

In particular, Abashidze spoke about the illegal deal between Russia and the occupied regions on the unification of military forces as well as the opening of so-called customs points.

• Read also: US condemns ratification of Russia-Tskhinvali military deal

Abashidze and Karasin also discussed the dynamic of commercial-economic relations between Georgia and Russia, which, according to 2017 data, has grown. The trend is also growing in transportation and tourism.

Negotiations also touched upon problems regarding the implementation of the 2011 agreement on the mechanism of customs administration and the monitoring of regional trade.

Various humanitarian issues were also discussed during the meeting.

• The so-called Abashidze-Karasin meetings in Prague are the only format of direct dialogue between Georgia and Russia since the two countries cut off their diplomatic ties after the 2008 war.
• The format was launched in late 2012 and covers only humanitarian, trade and economic related issues. It does not touch upon politics.