Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the Russia-NATO Council in Brussels yesterday that Russia hoped to restore diplomatic relations with Georgia. Georgian President Georgy Margvelashvili said that Russia will not pressurize Georgia in European integration affairs.
Georgian Foreign Minister Maya Panjikidze said today that Georgia will benefit from restoring diplomatic relations with Russia. It would help in deoccupation of the country and Russia will no longer recognize independence of the breakaway republics.
Alexander Skakov, coordinator of the working group of the Institute for Central Asia and the Caucasus of the Institute for Oriental Studies of the RAS, believes that the two states can restore diplomatic relations, although it would be hard. Absence of diplomatic relations was not an obstacle for relations between Russia and Georgia, he noted. They could still implement a system of free movement for citizens.
Alla Yazkova, Head of the Mediterranean – Black Sea Center of the Institute of Europe of the RS, said that Russia will not decline recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, a condition Georgia insists on in order to restore relations. The only concession Ivanishvili had made was to stop using the term ‘occupied territory.’ The expert noted the if Lavrov had expressed readiness to improve relations, there must be certain steps in that direction. She believes that negotiations of Abashidze and Karasin were a good platform for that.
