President Saakashvili said he would meet his Russian counterpart to try to replace “megaphone diplomacy” with issue-based relations between the two countries.
Speaking at a televised meeting with members of the Georgian National Security Council on May 27, Saakashvili outlined those issues he wanted to discuss with Dmitry Medvedev when the two presidents meet in St. Petersburg on a sideline of an informal summit of CIS leaders on June 6-7. This will be the first meeting between Saakashvili and Russia’s new President.
He said that with Russia’s recent actions, involving April 20 downing of the Georgian unmanned drone and April 16 decision to establish official links with Sokhumi and Tskhinvali, it was clear that Moscow was no longer an impartial mediator in the conflict resolution process.
“It is absolutely clear and our key European partners and the United States admit it – and I think that in Russia they also should understand – that the current [peacekeeping] format has been actually annulled by Russia itself, because, Russia, which, on the one hand, pretends to play a peacekeeper’s role and on the other hand, carries our military acts against that very country, where it is performing a peacekeeping role, it practically annuls its peacekeeping mission,” Saakashvili said.
He, however, also warned that the process of replacing the current Russian-led peacekeeping operation in Abkhazia was “difficult” and Georgia had “restricted means for maneuvering.”
“But on the other hand, keeping of current format is related with a serious risk to our security, as well as with a threat of further deepening of escalation,” Saakashvili said. “Our task at this stage is to try all means and all ways [to achieve change of the current peacekeeping format], and first of all, with the Russian Federation, which has the new President.”
“Let’s wait for the meeting with President Medvedev until making any decisions,” Saakashvili added.
He also said that revoking of decision on establishing official links with breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia by Russia, as well as withdrawal of Russia’s extra troops from Abkhazia, was yet another priority for Tbilisi at the moment.
“I want that we prepare everything seriously, but I also want that we try it with the new president of Russia. I think that it is in our interests, as well as in Russia’s and its new president’s interests and I hope that all necessary steps will be taken to defuse the current tension. The situation remains very serious and very difficult,” Saakashvili said.
He also told the National Security Members to intensify diplomacy with Russia and with Georgia’s western partners ahead of his planned meeting with the Russian president.
Temur Iakobashvili, the Georgian state minister for reintegration, who was present at the National Security Council session, briefed the President about his recent visit to Moscow and said “unfortunately there was nothing new” in Russia’s stance over current peacekeeping formats.
“There was one response on every our proposal: everything should happen in frames of the existing formats” Iakobashvili told the President. “They are waiting for some new signals, but I think they also understand that existing formats have exhausted their capabilities. In Europe there at least is a sense that Russians are no longer impartial party and the UN’s recent conclusions [over downing of Georgian drone] have further confirmed it. We have intensive dialogue with Europeans on replacement of the current military [component of peacekeeping] operation with the police one and to deploy European police forces instead of Russians. We have prepared package of proposals in this respect.”
