Saakashvili is ready to restore Georgian-Russian relations

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has stated on the sidelines of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe that he is open to negotiations on the restoration of the Russian-Georgian relations, making it clear that he was not going to leave politics.

"Our political force is not going anywhere from Georgia. Russia will have to deal with it and perhaps with me as well for a long time," the Georgian president said. He said that he is ready for talks on the restoration of relations with Russia. "We have always been open to it," Saakashvili said.

He expressed his bewilderment with the fact that one of his supporters, Givi Targamadze, is considered by the Russian leadership as one of the organizers of protest of the Russian opposition. "As far as I know, Targamadze is delighted by these allegations. Not since Che Guevara has anybody paid such  great attention to this topic," the Voice of Russia quotes Saakashvili. He also noted that he was surprised that Putin showed such an interest in Targamadze.