Georgian envoy to Russia raises territories issues at meeting with Russian deputy FM
Georgian and Russian envoys mostly meet twice a year to discuss trade and economic relations.Photo: 1TV.
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Georgian Special Envoy to Russia Zurab Abashidze has raised current problems in the two occupied regions of Georgia, Abkhazia and Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) during his meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in Prague yesterday.
This move is noteworthy given that political issues have not been on the agenda of the Abashidze-Karasin meetings since 2012.
Despite the fact the meetings are never about security and other issues related to the country’s territorial problems, at the beginning of the meeting Abashidze spoke about the severe humanitarian situation in the occupied regions of Georgia and the violation of human rights there. He made examples of the violations of the international law and sovereignty principles”, the prime minister’s press office reported.
Abashidze told journalists that Karasin responded that such issues should be discussed within the Geneva International Discussions format.
Abashidze express his concern that progress has no longer been achieved in the format of the Geneva discussions,” the press office said.
Abashidze and Karasin discussed the countries’ trade and economic relations.
As many Georgian companies are involved in Russia-Georgia trade and economic relations, offers have been made [by Georgia] to provide measures for the protection of their interests and support them to resolve problems,” the press office says.
Abashidze and Karasin also spoke about Georgia and Russia’s agreement "on the basic principles for a mechanism of customs administration and monitoring of trade in goods” on 9 November 2011 and stated that the problems creating obstacles for the implementation of the deal should be settled within the joint working group
The Georgian Dream government appointed Abashidze as the country’s envoy to Russia in 2012 to deal with only trade and economic issues.
The two countries have no diplomatic relations since the Russia-Georgia war in 2008.
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.
The agreement signed by Georgia and Russia in 2011 envisages setting up of a mechanism of customs administration and the monitoring of regional trade by third parties.
The next regular working meeting between the Georgian PM’s special representative for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and the Russian deputy foreign minister Grigory Karasin will be held on May 24 in Prague.
The Georgian Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze and the State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Grigory Karasin have met in Prague in what is the only format of direct Georgia-Russia dialogue.
Georgia has exported 1.5 billion USD worth of products to Russia since 2012, Georgian Special Envoy to Russia Zurab Abashidze stated after his meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gregory Karasin in Prague on June 13.
Georgia is waiting for the nomination of a new deputy foreign minister of Russia to say how the talks on trade and economic cooperation will continue with Russia.Georgia and Russia restored trade and economic relations back in 2013, with Russian deputy Foreign Minister Gregory Karasin taking up negotiations.
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.
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Georgian PM’s Special Representative in Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze says that no bilateral agreement on the opening of a Russian language and culture centre in Tbilisi was made during his meeting with Russian Former Deputy FM Gregory Karasin in Prague yesterday.
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