Georgian, Russian Foreign Ministers hold first meeting since suspension of diplomatic ties in 2008

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that he would resume direct flights with Georgia, which were suspended in July 2019, as a majority of Georgians ‘have seen the negative sides’ of the ‘provocation staged’ in the Georgian parliament on June 20.He said that the Georgian opposition deliberately sparked unrest in the Georgian parliament after the address of Russian MP Sergey Gavrilov from the seat of the Georgian parliament speaker that day.

Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili addressed the general debate of the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York earlier today. In her speech she said Georgia is “a small country, on the edge of Europe”, it is “one of the democratic countries of the world” and  its main challenge and priority is peace.

Russia is now discussing whether it should continue to hold trade and economic talks with Georgia, previously known as the Abashidze-Karasin talks, the only direct format of relations since the two countries suspended diplomatic ties in 2008 after the Russia-Georgia war. The continuation of the talks came under question after the resignation of former Russian Deputy FM Gregory Karasin earlier this year.

In an interview with Russia’s Ria Novosti, Girgory Karasin said the Georgian Government "periodically addressed aggressive rhetoric to Russia that didn’t serve to strengthen positive relations between the two nations."

Officials and politicians in Georgia have assessed the recent meeting of the Georgian and Russian Foreign Ministers in New York, which is the first since Georgia suspended its diplomatic ties with Russia following the Russia-Georgia war in 2008. 

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani said that the recent meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov should not be considered as the change of existing format of negotiations with Russia. 

EU, OSCE and the UN top officials have welcomed the recent meeting between Georgian and Russian Foreign Ministers David Zalkaliani and Sergey Lavrov which was the first high-level meeting of top officials from the two countries after the suspension of diplomatic ties back in 2008, due to the Russia-Georgia war. 

The US Department of State Spokesperson Morgan Ortagus has tweeted that the US government welcomes the recent meeting between Georgian and Russian foreign ministers, held in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly with the mediation of Switzerland. 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a press conference during the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York yesterday that at the recent meeting with his Georgian counterpart David Zalkaliani the issue of re-launching flights to Georgia was also raised.

Russian President Vladimir Putin’s Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov considers that the meetings, similar to the negotiations between the Russian and Georgian Foreign Ministers, “contribute to launching positive cooperation between the two countries”. 

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani has told Georgian MPs that his meeting with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov at the end of September in New York was needed, important and came at the right time. 

The US has called ‘for those responsible’ to provide a full account of the circumstances surrounding the deaths of  Georgian citizens Irakli Kvaratskhelia, Archil Tatunashvili, Giga Otkhozoria and David Basharuli in Georgia’s Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions.

Georgian Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani spoke of the security and humanitarian situation in the two Russian-occupied Georgian regions of Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) at the 26th OSCE Ministerial Council in Bratislava today.