Category: Georgia

[PM’s Envoy to Meet Russian Diplomat ‘Informally’ – Civil Georgia – Dec. 12, 2012 – http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25533] Civil Georgia covers plans for Georgia and Russia to have informal diplomatic talks, possibly in Switzerland.  The two sides apparently are already in direct contact, for the purpose of setting up the meetings: Georgian PM’s special representative for relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, said […]

(Interfax – Dec. 2, 2012) Georgia believes it is necessary to start resuming dialogue with Russia despite radical disagreements regarding Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s status. “We believe we should look for common interests without preconditions, especially such that rule out the possibility of dialogue. We are sure that the settlement of problems between Georgia and Russia are in the interests […]

MOSCOW. Nov 29 (Interfax) – Russia is ready to cooperate with the new Georgian authorities, if they take into account Russia’s decision on the recognition of Abkhazia’s and South Ossetia’s independence, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev said. “This is not the easiest path, but Russia has always said that we are ready for dialog with the new Georgian authorities, but […]

TBILISI. Nov 23 (Interfax) – Another holiday will be marked in Georgia this year instead of the Rose Revolution anniversary for the first time since 2003. The government led by Mikheil Saakashvili came to power in Georgia following the resignation of President Eduard Shevardnadze on November 23, 2003. This date has been marked officially as the Rose Revolution anniversary, but […]

(“Georgia Appoints Special Envoy for Relations with Russia Civil Georgia” – Civil Georgia – November 1, 2012 – http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25407) Civil Georgia reports that Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili has created a new post of Special Representative for Relations with Russia, appointing Zurab Abashidze, former ambassador to Moscow, to the position. Abashidze is to report directly to Ivanishvili. Ivanishvili touts the […]

Date: Tue, 9 Oct 2012 From: Sergei Roy <SergeiRoy@yandex.ru> Subject: Anatoly Karlin JRL #176 [re Georgia] Re Anatoly Karlin JRL #176, 8 October 2012 By Sergei Roy I must congratulate Mr. Karlin  on his excellent analysis of the politics involved in the recent parliamentary election in Georgia, its causes and consequences.  A few comments are due, though. Politics and politicking, […]

Does the Georgian Election Signal a New paradigm? – us-russia.org – October 8, 2012 “us-russia.org” presents  a panel anthology on the aftermath of the Georgia election, featuring Vlad Sobell, Edward Lozansky, Patick Armstrong, Sergei Roy, Anatoly Karlin, and Slava Kolodyazhniy. In Georgia’s October 1 parliamentary election President Mikheil Saakashvili’s United National Movement was defeated, paving the way for Georgia’s first-ever […]

TBILISI, October 8 (RIA Novosti )- The new Georgian government will implement a plan to improve relations with Moscow, while maintaining its policy of pro-Western orientation, Foreign Minister designate Maya Panjikidze said on Monday. “There is a specific plan and idea on how to improve relations with Russia,” Panjikidze said. The aim of the Georgian Foreign Ministry is “to improve […]

(Moscow Times – themoscowtimes.com – October 8, 2012) Maia Panjikidze, nominated on Monday as Georgia’s next foreign minister, vowed that the country’s foreign policy would not change and predicted that it would take years to normalize relations with Russia. “This is the decision of the Georgian people: to integrate with European and Euro-Atlantic organizations; to continue and deepen the strategic […]

Paul Goble – Eurasia Daily Monitor Volume: 13 Issue: 19 – Jamestown Foundation – jamestown.org – October 4, 2012 The final results of the Georgian parliamentary elections were not announced yet when President Mikhail Saakashvili conceded that his party lost the majority of the vote; Bidzina Ivaanishvili has begun talks about forming a government and suggested that Saakashvili resign as […]

Voice of America – October 3, 2012 – By James Brooke – James Brooke is VOA Moscow bureau chief, covering Russia and the former USSR. In the run-up to Georgia’s parliamentary vote, supporters of President Mikheil Saakashvili derided their opponent, billionaire Bidzina Ivanishvili, as “a Kremlin project.” Activists for Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream coalition were even chased out of one village […]

(Nikolaus von Twickel – Moscow Times – October 3, 2012) Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev praised the results of Georgia’s parliamentary elections, in which the main opposition coalition defeated the party of President Mikheil Saakashvili. “If these results remain, Georgia’s political landscape will become more diverse. You can only welcome this, because it means that more constructive and responsible forces will […]

MOSCOW, October 2 (Alexey Eremenko, RIA Novosti) – The Georgian opposition’s likely victory in parliamentary elections yesterday spells no more than token changes in relations with Russia, as anti-Kremlin President Mikheil Saakashvili remains entrenched in power, Russian analysts said on Tuesday. “Relations will improve, because they can’t get any worse,” said Alexander Krylov, Caucasus expert at the Institute of World […]

MOSCOW. Oct 2 (Interfax) – Russia will respect any choice made by the Georgian people in the October 1 parliamentary election, Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council, the upper chamber of the Russian Parliament, told journalists. “Our country will respect any choice of the Georgian people. It is the Georgian people’s right to elect its parliament and the country’s […]