President: Russia poses no immediate threat to Georgia

Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili believes Russia does not pose an immediate threat to the Georgian nation, but said this does not mean there is no danger.

Margvelashvili visited Georgian television channel Maestro and spoke about various issues facing the country, including Georgia-Russian problems, while commenting on a decision by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Advisor Body to facilitate issuing of Russian passports to foreigners.

The Georgian President said the latest developments were very important not only for Georgia and its regions, but for global order, in which the world was living after World War II.

"The new environment, which was formed after World War II, was based on some kind of consensus, that envisioned respecting the sovereignty of countries, etcetera. An agreement existed and the main forum of this agreement was the United Nations.

"What started in 2008 in Georgia and deepened in 2014 in Crimea, actually put a question mark over this global agreement, according to which more than 200 states communicate with each other following some principles,” Margvelashvili said.

He said the destruction of stability not only applied to Georgia, Ukraine and the close region, but to the whole world.

"Naturally in this situation it would have been completely wrong to be calm and say that everything is developing by the usual course. However, at the same time, we should not have hysterical reaction, but we should evaluate the changes and dangers that we are currently facing,” he added.

Margvelashvili also noted that the "rehearsal” of what happened in Crimea was carried out in Georgia in 2008.

"The developments occur as follows: Global order is violated and the policy of the Russian Federation indicates that there are special interest areas, which includes the former Soviet Union. Naturally, this is a tension issue for us [and] we are carefully watching this and are vigilant. Is there a direct and instant danger? I have previously stated that we have no such immediate threat from the Russian Federation. However, this does not mean that there is no danger,” he said.

In addition, the President said the developments in Ukraine had strengthened the Georgian Dream’s position that Euro-Atlantic integration and rational dialogue with Russia was possible.

"It was not only Georgian Dream’s position that Georgia’s aspiration towards European and Euro-Atlantic space is possible and it is possible to show this position to Russia, that it is profitable for them. This opinion is shared and constantly pushed by our partners in both Europe and United States,” he said.

"The opinion, that a rational dialogue with Russia has to start, has been announced repeatedly by Western leaders. Has the developments in Ukraine changed this? On the contrary, this position has been deepened and established in the whole world,” Margvelashvili said.

"Aggression against Russia, its exclusion or isolation behind the iron curtain has not been discussed on any forums. Our partners are facing extremely difficult choices – on the one hand, they do not want to exclude Russia, because excluded Russia will be more aggressive, but on the other hand, they have to give Russia a clear response,” Margvelashvili noted.

He added that entering the EU and NATO and normalizing relations with Russia was possible for former Soviet Union countries, in particular, the Baltic countries, but for this to happen, a calm and rational policy would need to be enforced.