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Saakashvili Meets Russian Foreign Minister







Mikheil Saakashvili and Sergey Lavrov at
a meeting in Tbilisi. Photo: InterPressNews

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after meeting with President Saakashvili that the sides had agreed “to take concrete steps” to improve bilateral relations.


Lavrov was in Tbilisi to attend Saakashvili’s presidential inauguration on January 20.


“It is worth saying that this is my first official meeting [since being sworn in as President],” Saakashvili told Lavrov as the meeting got underway. “This meeting is significant, because, as you probably heard [during the inauguration speech] I stressed several times the importance of relations with Russia. We really believe in it and we really think that we should try once again to improve our relations, because there is no alternative for us.”


In his inauguration speech earlier on January 20, Saakashvili said: “We will continue to move with even firmer steps towards NATO… This aspiration is not against any of our neighbors’ interests, nor is it aimed at alienating any of our neighbors. We should reach out the hand of cooperation to Russia. We should be friends, we should be closer.”


Saakashvili also told the Russian foreign minister that he had during his re-election campaign deliberately avoided any reference to “disagreements” outstanding in Russo-Georgian relations.


“We were very cautious on this issue because we think now is not the time for throwing stones [at each other], but instead it is now time to collect them. We have been throwing enough stones over the past few years. Now, the time has come to collect them jointly and try to ensure that future generations thank us for resolving problems in our relations,” Saakashvili said. “Therefore, we are always ready and glad to see you here… and I think that we really have a chance to build absolutely new relations. We are very glad that you have come.”


“Given your tight schedule, I appreciate that you have found time to meet me. I congratulate you on your re-election and pass on a message of [congratulations] from President Vladimir Putin,” Lavrov responded. “We thought it absolutely necessary to attend this ceremony at a governmental level. The Georgian people are linked to us through history – a history of friendship. And we really care how our relations develop. We have noticed that in your pre-election speeches, and in the speeches of your opponents, Russia was mentioned only in terms of the need to normalize relations.”


After the meeting, the Russian foreign minister told journalists that problems in bilateral relations persist. “These problems are known, so I will not speak about the details now,” he said.


“I will only say that the Russian side thinks that moving from words about a readiness for normalization [in relations] to concrete steps is required. Today, during my talks with Mikheil Saakashvili, we found that the Georgian side shares the same attitude. We have agreed to try to take such concrete steps in the near future. I think that it is a real possibility,” Lavrov said.

Georgian Prime Minister Lado Gurgenidze, following the meeting, said “there is cautious optimism” that ties between the two countries would improve.


Before his departure from Tbilisi, the Russian foreign minister also met opposition leaders.

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

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