Georgian NSC Chief, Russian FM Exchange Remarks

Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said on March 21, that he hoped Georgia would have leaders, “who really would be guided by the interest of Georgian people.”

Lavrov made the remarks at a discussion that took place in frames of the Brussels Forum-2009. The Russian Foreign Minister, along with EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, was part of a panel discussing Russia’s policies, moderated by Philip Stephens of the Financial Times.

Lavrov made the comment after the remarks of Eka Tkeshelashvili, the secretary of Georgian National Security Council, who was in the audience listening to the discussion and who intervened during the question and answer session with the panelists.

“I don’t even know if I can have a question in this regard; what can I ask of the representative of Russia in this case,” Tkeshelashvili said (she spoke in English).

She said that Russia was the country “which is still at unease of not having the world, which is divided in blocks” and also “at unease” about its neighbors’ independence and sovereignty. Tkeshelashvili also said Russia was occupying 20% of Georgia’s territories and failing to implement ceasefire agreement.

“I’m sorry… if I was more emotional maybe in my intervention,” Tkeshelashvili, who served as Georgia’s foreign minister, during the August war, said in the end of her remarks.

“Eka Tkeshelashvili, I understand your emotions,” Sergey Lavrov responded.

“I only can say that I hope Georgian people would have leaders who really would be guided by the interest of Georgian people who would not give orders to kill people who they themselves declare to be their citizens, and who would know how to respect their neighbours and to live in peace with everybody,” the Russian Foreign Minister added.

Georgia was raised for number of times during the panel discussion, which mainly focused on Russia’s foreign policy and security arrangement in Europe.

Javier Solana told Lavrov during the discussion that Moscow should understand also “the concerns” that existed in EU during the August war.

“Javier, on August 2008 you said you were concerned. We were outraged,” Sergey Lavrov responded.

“It was a blatant aggression against the international commitments of Georgia to which President Saakashvili is [subscribed] and he was giving orders to kill peacekeepers and civilians,” he added.

On Georgia’s NATO aspiration, Lavrov said: “Why NATO is still saying that Georgia must be a member of NATO, when the current regime in Georgia used brutal force against all [of] its international obligations.”

“Frankly, I don’t want to make it a secret – before Mr. Saakashvili gave orders to attack South Ossetia, we have been talking very intensely with Condoleezza Rice,” the Russian Foreign Minister said. “And I was making the point repeatedly that why don’t you persuade them to sign a non use of force agreement. Why don’t you stop providing them with offensive arms? And she told me, don’t you worry.  And I also said, why are you pulling them into NATO with all this.  And she said, don’t you worry, if he [Saakashvili] uses force, he could forget about NATO. Okay, he did use force.”

President Saakashvili is also attending the Brussels Forum. He will be among the panelists on the topic: Georgia – six months after the war, later on March 21. Discussion will also include Mircea Dan Geoana, the president of upper chamber of the Romanian parliament and Eckart von Klaeden, a member of the German Bundestag. Richard Holbrooke, the U.S. special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, will moderate the panel.

The session, however, will be off-the-record and closed for the press, as indicated in the agenda of the forum.

Irakli Alasania, the leader of opposition Alliance for Georgia, and Salome Zourabichvili, the leader of opposition Georgia’s Way Party, are also participating in the Brussels Forum; they are listed among “participants” and not among “speakers.”

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