Putin, Saakashvili will Meet on June 13

The Georgian and Russian Presidents will meet in St. Petersburg on June 13, President Mikheil Saakashvili said on June 3.

This agreement was reached after phone talks between the two Presidents, which according to the Russian President’s press office, took place at the request of Mikheil Saakashvili on June 3.

“It is of mutual interest to resume a constructive dialogue between [Georgia and Russia]. Our Foreign Ministers have been invovled in a dialogue with each other over recent weeks. Today we have agreed with President Putin to hold a meeting between the Presidents on June 13 in St. Petersburg and to hold a principled conversation. I will do everything to achieve a concrete outcome from this meeting,” Saakashvili said while speaking at a session of the Georgian National Security Council.

“Tough problems have accumulated in the relationship between us and Russia. Our position was always very concrete and directly stated. We are ready to have very close and very constructive relations with Russia, which, along with other issues, will be based on the absolute inviolability of Georgia’s territory; peaceful resolution of issues of restoration of Georgia’s territorial integrity; removal of any kind of obstacles, barriers and artificial difficulties; and flexibility in resolving all other issues,” Saakashvili said.

“From the very first day of coming into power we said that we are extending our hand of friendship to Russia and I want to reiterate once again that we are ready to once again extend a hand of friendship to our neighbor, our traditional partner; but at the same time, we should remember that there are a few issues [that need to be solved] that have accumulated and these issues are very tough and we have a very principle and firm position from where we will not take even one step back from, because it concern Georgia’s future and the welfare of each of our citizens,” the Georgian leader added.