Georgia Responds to Russian MFA Statement

The Russian Foreign Ministry’s February 27 statement has demonstrated “inter-agency disagreements” among various Russian state structures, Georgian Foreign Minister Davit Bakradze said on February 28.

The Russian MFA had earlier denied having reached an agreement with Georgia on joint control of the border between Russia and breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia. It had also denied assuring Tbilisi that Moscow would “never recognize Abkhazia or South Ossetia.” 

“I have here an official document received from the Russian side, which describes the Russian side’s vision on how the process of legalization of border crossing points should be implemented,” Bakradze said, showing papers to journalists. The Georgian foreign minister, however, refused to allow the press to examine them.

Although the Russian Foreign Ministry acknowledged in its February 27 statement that talks were underway on joint border control in the frames of the Georgian-Russian negotiations on Russia’s WTO-entry terms, it also added that success depended on a resolution of the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts “and on the consent of Sokhumi and Tskhinvali, whom we have kept informed all along.”

The Georgian foreign minister, however, said that in the document sent by the Russian side there was no mention of the secessionist authorities. “And this is an absolutely correct, good and positive approach,” he said. “The involvement of the Abkhaz and South Ossetian de facto authorities in these talks has not been pushed for [by Russia] during any talks or meetings.”

The Georgian and Russian Economy Ministries have responsibility for negotiating Russia’s WTO entry terms.

The Georgian foreign minister also said that the Russian Foreign Ministry’s public statement was largely at odds with reality following recent negotiations between Russian and Georgian officials. It, the minister said, was indictative of persisting “inter-agency disagreements” among various state structures in Russia.

He said he hoped such internal dissension, which in the past had resulted in some high level agreements being scuppered, would not be allowed to undo the recent improvement in bilateral relations. “Otherwise, it will be a serious and regrettable setback,” Bakradze said.