Georgia ready to take steps toward normalizing relations with Russia – official

(Interfax – TBILISI, June 12, 2013) Georgia is ready to make steps aimed at normalizing relations with Russia, says special prime ministerial envoy for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze.

“Tbilisi has closely studied Russian President Vladimir Putin’s statement he made yesterday,” and this statement contains “an interesting viewpoint and judgments regarding a dialogue between Georgia and Russia, which is already producing positive results, in particular, as concerns the restoration of trade-economic, transport, and humanitarian-cultural relations,” Abashidze told journalists on Wednesday.

“Georgia reaffirms its decision on taking part in the Sochi Olympics and expresses its readiness to cooperate with Russia on security matters related to the organization of the Olympics,” he said.

The Russian president “takes a realistic attitude toward Georgia’s determination to restore its territorial integrity, and this will happen only in a peaceful way.”

“We will not be able to accept some of Russia’s interpretations of modern history, but it is a reality that Georgia and Russia are bound by centuries-long relations and that our peoples have warm feelings toward each other,” he said.

Tbilisi expects “Russia to undertake efficient measures to resolve urgent problems that have arisen at the administrative borders with Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region [South Ossetia], which cause great difficulties to the people on both sides of the dividing line and do not promote Georgian-Russian dialogue,” Abashidze said.