Saakashvili Comments on Ties with Russia, EU’s Reaction

President Saakashvili said that Georgia should respond to Russia’s pressure and sanctions “with calm and with the continuation of reforms.”

He said that “currently, the dividing line between evil and good, principled and unprincipled approaches in the international relations, lies with Georgia.”

Saakashvili hailed the EU Foreign Minister’s conclusions about Russian-Georgian tensions as “a huge achievement.”

“Despite huge pressure and threats towards the European Union, this organization found courage to react [to current Russo-Georgian tensions],” the Georgian President said.

“Tomorrow the EU-Russia summit will discuss Georgia. We expect a very principled position of the EU towards those human rights abuses which take place against Georgians [living in Russia],” Saakashvili said, and added that he is ready to meet his Russian counterpart any time.

He said that the death of a Georgian man in Moscow prior to his deportation was a result of the inhumane attitude of Russian officials.

“Everyone in the world should react to this inhumane act,” he said.

Saakashvili said that Georgia is preparing a claim against Russia in the Strasbourg-based European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the violation of rights of the Georgian deportees.

He reiterated that Georgia is ready for a dialogue with Russia.

“I am ready to send our Foreign Minister [Gela Bezhuashvili] to Moscow. You know there [in Moscow] will be a summit of the Foreign Ministers of the BSEC [Black Sea Economic Cooperation, on November 1],” Saakashvili said.

He also said that he is ready to participate in the CIS summit, as “we are going to use any kind of rostrum and all the opportunities for holding a dialogue.”

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