Saakashvili: Quitting CIS not a Goal in Itself

President Saakashvili said on May 11 that consultations are underway between the Georgian and Ukrainian Foreign Ministries to consider the possible withdrawal from the Commonwealth of Independent States, but he also added that quitting the CIS “is not a goal in itself.”

“After Georgia announced that we have started thinking about withdrawing from the CIS – and this is not a goal in itself, we are studying this issue with the participation of various ministries – Ukraine also announced that it is considering this issue as well and we are holding consultations on the level of Foreign Ministries,” Saakashvili said in his remarks made after talks with visiting Estonian President Arnold Rььtel.

Saakashvili also noted that Georgia is working over improving ties with Russia.

“At the same time, our major priority is to improve relations with Russia, to return on the Russian market, to normalize relations, and to maximally improve ties with Russia,” Saakashvili added.