Int'l community backs Georgia’s normalization of relations with Russia

Georgia is fully supported by its government and the international community in the normalization of Georgian-Russian relations, Georgian State Minister for Integration into European and Euro-Atlantic structures, Alexi Petriashvili said today.

The format of the negotiations became known after a meeting between Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and the Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative on Russian-Georgian relations Zurab Abashidze, he told reporters on Friday.

"This was the first unofficial dialogue in which the Geneva format remains the main avenue of conflict settlement with Russia," Petriashvili said. "Regarding other issues and possible future routes in the relationship, Russia and Georgia will discuss the possibility of restoring economic, trade and cultural relations. After the first Abashidze - Karasin meeting, more will be known about further development in Russian-Georgian relations."

He stressed that Georgia is fully supported by the international community in the normalization of relations with Russia.

Zurab Abashidze and Grigory Karasin met in Geneva on December 14th.
Military action was launched in the Georgian region of South Ossetia on Aug.8, 2008. Later Russian troops occupied the city of Tskhinvali and drove the Georgian military back. Russia recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in late August of that year.


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