Georgia Discussed at Lavrov-Clinton Meeting

U.S. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, said after meeting with her Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov in Washington, that they “have expressed on several occasions our concerns about Georgia.”

“We have had the opportunity to discuss the conditions on the ground there and the need for stability. And I believe that Minister Lavrov as well as the Russian Government recognize that stability and a peaceful resolution to the tensions in Georgia is in everyone’s interest,” she said at a joint news conference with the Russian Foreign Minister. 

“We exchanged views on a range of important issues, from Afghanistan, North Korea, the Middle East, Iran, so many other areas where we have common interests and common concerns, even on areas where our views may diverge,” Clinton said. “We both want to achieve stability and security in Georgia. We are both committed to the NATO-Russia Council to open up another important channel of dialogue. And we are very focused on making sure that the United States and Russia have a very vigorous ongoing dialogue among our two governments,”

Clinton also said that it was an “old thinking to say that we have a disagreement in one area, therefore we shouldn’t work in something else that is of overwhelming importance.”

“That’s just not the way we think,” she continued. If you look at what we’re doing on START and nonproliferation, that has to do with the future safety of the world, and the United States and Russia bear a special responsibility. So we are working very hard together. Where we disagree, which all great countries disagree – people in families disagree – is to see how we can lower the tensions, look for, as Minister Lavrov said, compromise, find practical solutions. So we discuss all of these issues.”

Sergey Lavrov said that situation “in the Caucasus, especially in the South Caucasus” was discussed.

“True, we do have obvious differences. We do not conceal those. But we agree on one thing: we need to do our best in order to achieve stability there,” he said. “And we also agree that we need to contribute in every possible way to preventing any new outbreaks of ethnic tension. We need to facilitate the establishment of procedures to ensure the observance of human rights. And of course, international organizations, including the UN, can play their role. The UN has worked in Georgia and Abkhazia for quite a while. And of course, the OSCE has a role to play. It should not be disregarded. And the negotiations that will take place in Vienna in order to find mutually acceptable arrangements will make it possible to resume the presence of the OSCE. In South Ossetia, of course, we need to find parameters that would be acceptable for all those who will be performing their missions, who will be receiving relevant missions in their respective territories.”

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)