Abashidze: dialogue with Russia to be continued

The Georgian prime minister’s special representative for relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, said that dialogue with Russia "will be maintained and continued."

Dialogue between Abashidze and Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin "is a channel of communication between Georgia and Russia". "No matter how difficult bilateral relations between the two countries may be, dialogue is necessary," TASS cited him as saying.

He added that the date of a new meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin "has not been scheduled yet." Abashidze stressed that "a number of issues have currently emerged that require discussion and settlement. Earlier, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that "the Abashidze-Karasin format is operational" and that he "heard no official statements on the cancellation of this format." "They have not held a meeting for a while, that’s a fact. But we should remain calm about it," Lavrov said. "I think that as soon as the Georgian side is ready, we will use this means. It is very useful, as it provides ground for exchanging views on emerging issues."

Georgian Foreign Minister Tamara Beruchashvili said that she saw "no alternative" to dialogue with Russia. "Despite all the difficulties, Georgia’s direct dialogue with Russia in the Abashidze-Karasin format will continue," Beruchashvili stressed.

Meetings between Abashidze and Karasin are the first direct dialogue between officials of Russia and Georgia since 2008.