Russia Articulates Position over Georgia Ahead of Lavrov’s Visit

In a statement issued on February 11, the Russian Embassy in Georgia outlined the issues which will be on the agenda during a forthcoming visit by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Tbilisi, scheduled for February 18.

“We are ready move towards resolving all contradictory issues. And the official visit of Sergey Lavrov in Tbilisi proves, once again, that the Russian side’s intentions are serious in this regard,” the statement reads.

The Embassy states that one of the major issues surrounding this political dialogue between Tbilisi and Moscow still remains a comprehensive framework agreement, which is designed to outline all the aspects of bilateral relations, including two Russian military bases that still operate in Georgia. This issue, which represents only part of the agreement, has yet to be resolved, as the two sides have failed to reach an accord.

Georgia remains the only country in the Commonwealth of Independent States which has not signed a framework agreement with Russia, according to the Russian Embassy’s statement.

The statement also emphasizes the necessity to boost cooperation in a mutual fight against terrorism. “It will only be possible to solve persisting problems, particularly regarding the presence of those persons in Georgia, who are linked to terrorism and criminal activities in the Russian Federation, through this [cooperation],” the statement reads.

“The creation of a joint Russian-Georgian anti-terrorism center can be a a new form of cooperation,” the Russian Embassy states.

The statement calls on the Georgian side to boost cooperation among the border guard services of the two countries.

The statement reads that providing security of the two state’s border will be more effective “through a strengthening of ties between the border guard services and not through the reanimation of international monitoring [of the Russo-Georgian border], which has already proved its ineffectiveness.”

In this statement the Russian Embassy is refering to the OSCE border monitoring mission, which was halted after Russia vetoed to discuss the prolongation of the OSCE border monitoring mission mandate late last December.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)