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Georgia Urges EU to Press Russia over Border Security Issues

Speaking at the news briefing in Brussels on September 14, Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili urged the European Union to boost its role in the Caucasus region and to hold direct talks with Russia over the border security issues. 

“I’ve been pleading here for the EU to raise this question with Russia,” Reuters reports, quoting Georgian Foreign Minister.

Salome Zourabichvili, accompanied by Tamar Beruchashvili, the State Minister for European Integration Issues and Giorgi Khaindrava, the State Minister for Conflict Resolution Issues, was visiting Brussels to participate in the sixth session of the Cooperation Council between the European Union and Georgia on September 14.
 
The Georgian Foreign Minister expressed concern over the lack of control on the border between the breakaway Georgian region of South Ossetia, and Russia’s North Ossetia. Georgian wants international monitoring of the border, as Tbilisi accuses Russia of providing arms to South Ossetian separatists.
 
She said that after Georgia, together with Armenia and Azerbaijan, has been involved in EU?s New Neighborhood policy, ?there is an item for cooperation between the EU and Russia to deal with terrorism through more exchange of information, through border management.”
 
The Georgian Foreign Minister condemned violation of the Georgian airspace by the Russian combat helicopters on September 14, in Kodori gorge, the only part of breakaway Abkhazia under the Tbilisi?s control.
 
She also criticized threats of Yuri Baluyevsky, the Chief of Staff of Russian Armed Forces, over pre-emptive strikes on terrorist bases worldwide. “We don’t think this is the proper approach to deal with this question, especially as we have shown our readiness to cooperate,” Salome Zourabichvili added.
 
She said that the security situation had not worsened since the hostage-taking tragedy in Russia?s North Ossetian town of Beslan, but added ?it’s very dangerous in this region to generate instability.?

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