Saakashvili Says Ready for Talks after Troops Pull Out

President Saakashvili said Georgia was ready for talks with Russia after its “occupational troops” withdraw from Georgia.

In a pre-recorded televised address to the nation aired by the Georgian Public Broadcaster on August 18, Saakashvili said that Russia has failed to achieve it major goals, its troops must immediately leave the country and prepare for talks.

He said that Russia’s aggression had triggered Russia’s, as he put it, “alienation” in Georgia.

“Let’s start thinking on negotiations after your [Russian] forces pull out from Georgia to prevent further alienation,” Saakashvili said. “We are ready for negotiations and we are ready to resolve problems through civilized way; but unconditional withdrawal of your troops is needed for that.”

“I do not pin my hopes on your mercifulness; I just hope you will be pragmatic,” Saakashvili added.

Bulgarian news agency, Focus, reported on August 17 quoting Bulgaria’s deputy foreign minister, Milen Keremedchiev, as saying that Sofia could become a venue for Russian-Georgian talks. Keremedchiev, who visited Georgia few days ago, also said that Tbilisi had accepted the Bulgarian proposal.

Temur Iakobashvili, the Georgian state minister for reintegration, however, confirmed that Bulgaria had offered its capital as a venue for talks, but declined to give a direct answer whether Tbilisi had accepted it or not; he, however, told Civil.Ge: “we are ready to have talks with Russia.”

President Saakashvili also said in his televised address that Russia’s aggression aimed at “putting an end to Georgia’s liberty” and it was not at all about South Ossetia or Abkhazia.

“But they have failed to achieve their goal. Tbilisi has not fallen and the government has not ran away like it happened in 1921 [when the Bolshevik Red Army invaded Georgia]; people did not come out into streets and did not overthrow the government,” Saakashvili said.

He also said that Georgia would never give up and would never reconcile with the annexation or separation of part of the Georgia’s territory.