Russian Chief Senator Warns Georgia over Quitting CIS

Chairman of the Council of Federation of Russia Sergey Mironov said on May 3 that Georgia’s possible withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) will, first of all, hit the population Georgia, Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies reported on May 3.

President Saakashvili said on May 2 that he has instructed the government to report on the possible consequences of Georgia’s withdrawal from the CIS in a maximum two months.

“The Georgian authorities, who declare their secession from the Commonwealth, should think about their long-suffering population, who even in it [the Commonwealth] are facing great difficulties,” Mironov told reporters. 

“It is easy to make loud political statements, but it is more difficult to give people a normal life,” he added.