Abashidze: Communication with Russia is “necessary”
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Forging and strengthening international contacts is the best force against the so-called ‘Alliance and Strategic Partnership’ treaty signed between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia, says the Georgian Prime Minister’s special representative for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze.
"Our resources are to mobilise the international community and to actualize this issue on every format, which we are already doing. The Foreign Ministry is engaged in this very actively,” Abashidze said today.
"As you know, the Minister talked about what should be done at the United Nations and other international organisations including the OSCE, NATO, Council of Europe and the EU. These days an OSCE Ministerial is planned. Maximum [attention] to this topic is needed. All government branches should get involved in the implementation of this action plan. Unfortunately, this is the main force that we actually have at hand,” Abashidze noted.
The PM’s representative said a date for his next meeting with Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Gregory Karasin had not been planned, but preserving some sort of communication with Russia was necessary.
"We have currently taken a pause in regards to meetings,”Abashidze confirmed.
"As for the preservation of this channel of communication, I think that it is necessary to preserve some sort of it. We do not have diplomatic relations with this country. There is no country in the world that does not have a communication channel with Russia. Even Ukraine, which has even more complex relations with Russia, has different communications with [Russia]. In fact Ukraine has not broken off diplomatic relations with Russia as well,” he said.
"It does not matter if we like our neighbours or not, we should still have some contact with them,” he said.
Meanwhile, Georgia’s other occupied region Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) might sign a similar agreement with Russia at the beginning of next year. This information was announced by the de-facto Parliament Speaker of occupied Tskhinvali Anatoly Bibilov.
Special representative of Georgia’s Prime Minister for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze believes Georgian-Russian informal dialogue is the only communication channel with Russia and it should continue.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry is again publically condemning the signing of the so-called ‘treaty’ between Moscow and the Sokhumi occupation regime and called it "de-facto annexation” of its territory.
A Russian alliance treaty between Moscow and Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia is an obstacle to peacefully resolving the conflict, says German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s spokesman.
Georgia’s close neighbour Ukraine is condemning the ‘Alliance and Strategic Partnership’ treaty signed this week between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania has slammed the new alliance between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region and expressed its firm support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognised borders.
The United States (US) says it will not recognise the legitimacy of any treaty between Georgia’s breakaway Abkhazia region and the Russian Federation.
NATO is calling on Russia to reverse its recognition of two Georgian lands - Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region - as independent states and to withdraw its forces from Georgia.
Russia’s signature of a so-called treaty on ‘Alliance and Strategic Partnership’ with Georgia's breakaway region Abkhazia is detrimental to ongoing efforts to stabilise the security situation in the region, the European Union (EU) says.
A Kremlin proposed new treaty on ‘Alliance and Integration’ between Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia and Russia will not be reconsidered,Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister GrigoryKarasinsaid after bilateral talks led by Georgian PM’s special envoy for relations with Russiain Prague today.
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin and de-facto president of Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia are scheduled to meet in Russia’s Black Sea resort town Sochi today and sign an alliance treaty despite the document being condemned by Georgia and the international community.
Georgia’s Foreign Ministry believes the revised draft treaty on ‘Alliance and Integration’ between Russia and Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia is a step forward to the annexation of Georgia’s territories.
De-facto Cabinet Ministers of Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia region have approved a bilateral treaty between Moscow and Sokhumi that outlined creating joint Russian and Abkhazian military forces.
The European Union (EU) believes the proposed 'Alliance and Integration' draft treaty between Russia and Georgia's breakaway region, the self-proclaimed Republic of Abkhazia, undermines the security and stability of the region.
NATO’s top regional representative said there was "strong concern” in the Alliance about the Kremlin-proposed ‘Alliance and Integration’ treaty Russia aimed to make with Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia.
A Kremlin proposed new treaty on ‘Alliance and Integration’ with Georgia’s breakaway region Abkhazia and Russia will be signed by the end of this year, Abkhazia’s de-facto leader Raul Khajimba announced.
Russia is making moves to remove its border with Abkhazia – one of Georgia’s two breakaway regions.
Georgian Prime Minister’s special representative for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin are set to meet in Prague today to discuss a trade agreement signed between Georgia and Russia in Geneva in 2011.
Russia believes the "unfriendly statements” voiced by Georgian officials about Russia contradict the efforts to restore constructive relations between the two neighbouring nations.
The de facto leader of Georgia’s occupied Tskhinvali (South Ossetia) region Anatoly Bibilov has invited Syrian president Bashar al-Assad to the region in the wake of the US, UK and France joint strikes on Syria in retaliation for the use of chemical weapons.