Although “friendly in tone” a meeting between the Georgian and Russian leaders has failed to bring any breakthrough on key issues pushed by Tbilisi, the government said in a written statement released by its press service late on June 6.
“President Saakashvili conveyed to President Medvedev that Georgia aims to change the current peacekeeping format in Abkhazia,” Eka Tkeshelashvili, the Georgian foreign minister, said in the statement. “Our goal is to replace the Russian peacekeeping force, which operates under a CIS mandate, with a civil police force overseen by the European Union and the OSCE. We of course would welcome Russia’s active and constructive participation in this effort.”
A day before his meeting with his Russian counterpart, President Saakashvili outlined three conditions he said were necessary to be met in order to defuse tension with Russia.
These were: the withdrawal of additional Russian troops deployed in Abkhazia; the immediate cessation of ongoing construction of military infrastructure in Abkhazia and the reversal of the April 16 decision by Russia to establish official ties with breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
“Unfortunately, despite the friendly atmosphere at the meeting, no progress was made on these substantive issues,” the Georgian government’s statement said.
Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, told reporters shortly after the meeting between the two presidents in St. Petersburg on June 6, that the Russian side had reiterated that Georgia should not try to resolve the conflicts through NATO-membership.
He also said that it was up to Georgia to defuse tension by undertaking binding commitments on the non-use of force.
Lavrov also reiterated Moscow’s earlier position, saying Russia’s recent measures in relation to Abkhazia, including the repair of railway infrastructure in the breakaway region, were purely humanitarian and aimed at providing social assistance to the residents of Abkhazia.
President Saakashvili has yet to comment on his first face-to-face meeting with Russia’s new president.
The Georgian and Russian presidents spoke briefly before the press prior to the meeting. In his remarks President Medvedev made it clear that Moscow was not in favor of western mediation in Russo-Georgian relations.
“Yesterday I was in Germany, had talks with German colleagues; they’re worried about Russo-Georgian relations, but I think we ourselves will be able to resolve all issues we face today, overcome difficulties and find long-term solutions [to those problems]. What do you think?” Medvedev asked Saakashvili.
“I absolutely agree with you,” Saakashvili responded. “I am very glad to have this opportunity to come and talk with you face-to-face and I really hope for fruitful and long-term cooperation and the resolution of all painful, pressing issues. I think there are no issues that can not be resolved; there are many unresolved problems, but there are no problems that will be impossible to resolve. Every [problem] can be resolved if there is goodwill and mutual understanding. Russia and Georgia are very close to each other from historic, cultural and people-to-people points of view and today’s situation is artificial and no one can benefit from it. All the issues must be resolved; there are principle issues; accumulated issues, which I hope we will resolve.”
