US ambassador on Russia's offer to restore ties with Georgia: Russia must withdraw forces first
US Ambassador Kelly Degnan notes that it is not the first time Russia has offered to restore relations with Georgia. Photo: EUMM press office.
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US Ambassador to Georgia Kelly Degnan has stated that Russia must first withdraw its forces from Georgian territory if it wants to restore relations with Georgia.
Ambassador Degnan said that it is not the first time Georgians have heard this kind of message from Russia before.
…[withdrawing] from Georgian territory … would be a real sign that Russia is serious and not just putting out more disinformation. It is very important for Georgians to see Russia withdraw from the occupied territories, reverse its recognition of Tskhinvali and Abkhazia, and immediately open up access to humanitarian corridors,” Ambassador Degnan said earlier today, during the closing ceremony of the Agile Spirit exercise.
Ambassador Kelly Degnan’s Remarks to Media at the Concluding Ceremony of Agile Spirit 2021 https://t.co/MAzPlJPYwA
— U.S. Embassy Tbilisi (@usingeo) August 6, 2021
At a press briefing yesterday Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry Information and Press Department Alexander Bikantov said that ‘Russia is ready to restore relations with Georgia ‘to the extent Georgia is ready for this,’ expressing hope that ‘common sense will prevail in Tbilisi’ and that it would start ‘developing relations’ with its currently Russian-occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali regions ‘as independent states.’