RFE/RL: “Georgian FM: Western Integration, Sovereignty Are ‘Red Lines’ In Russia Talk”

Georgia’s territorial integrity and Western aspirations are not up for discussion in its dealings with Russia.

This was voiced by Georgia’s Foreign Minister MikheilJanelidze in a recent interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

Janelidze told RFE/RL on March 18 that Georgia’s push for greater integration with the European Union, membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), and restoring its international recognised borders were "red lines” as it moved to mend tattered ties with Moscow.

"This [bilateral] dialogue [with Russia] is oriented to find ways to have relations in those areas which are not out of the red lines. And the red line is Georgia’s foreign-policy aspirations, its European integration, its integration into North Atlantic structures – (and) first of all, its territorial integrity," Janelidze said.

Tbilisi’s top official spoke about Georgia’s bid for NATO membership too. He voiced Georgia’s expectation for the upcoming NATO Summit in Warsaw in July.

"For this Warsaw Summit, we look forward for this confirmation of this progress on our membership aspiration path, and also we are talking about the next steps for enhancing our practical cooperation for defence-capability building," he said.

Read the full article here: www.rfrrl.org.