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| Putin, Burjanadze discussed broad range of bilateral issues |
Along with talks with Vladimir Putin, Nino Burjanadze met with the Russian Foreign and Defense Ministers, as well as the Chairman of the Council of Federation of Russia during her visit to Moscow on December 24-25. Nino Burjanadze described her visit as an attempt “to open a new chapter in the Russo-Georgian relations.
The two leaders exchanged compliments after their meeting, saying that it is time for the relations between the two nations to be improved.
“I saw that there is a will of improving the bilateral relations between Russia and Georgia,” Nino Burjanadze said after the meeting with Vladimir Putin.
According to the Russian President’s press office, Vladimir Putin said that Moscow is watching closely the developments in Georgia. He also said, “Russia is not indifferent towards the pre-election situation in the country.” Georgia will hold snap presidential elections on January 4.
The Russian President said Moscow was interested in ensuring that Georgia was strong, independent and self-sufficient.
Georgian Interim President said after the negotiations, that they “had very frank talks and discussed very painful problems, including defense and security issues and visa regime.”
“Our goal is integration into the Euro-Atlantic structures; however Georgia’s strategic cooperation with the United States and Europe does not contradict Georgia’s friendship with Russia,” Nino Burjanadze said.
She stressed that the conflict in Abkhazia is “a major stumbling-block to Russo-Georgian relations.” “Russia can help in resolving problems between Georgians and Abkhazians,” she added.
Georgia has been accusing Russia of providing political and military support to the separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Nino Burjanadze reiterated that Georgia is not intending to use force in Abkhazia. “Abkhazia is a part of our country and we have only one country – Georgia,” she said.
Nino Burjanadze’s visit to Moscow was marred with statements of the Russian President’s aide on December 24, who accused Georgia of harboring Chechen fighters and mercenaries in Pankisi gorge, near the Russian border. The issue of Pankisi gorge was yet another stumbling-bloc, heating up the dispute between the uneasy neighbors during the previous years.
“Georgia still remains a hide-out for terrorists, who infiltrate into Russia from the Pankisi gorge,” Sergey Yastrzhembsky, Russian Presidential aide said at a news briefing on December 24.
The Georgian Interim President visited Pankisi gorge on December 21 to inspect the checkpoints of internal troops, which have been deployed in the gorge since last summer to tackle the terrorist threat in Pankisi. The Georgian authorities claim there are no more armed groups in the Pankisi gorge.
The Russian military bases deployed in Georgia are another issue causing strained relations between the two countries. The problem topped the agenda of the talks between Nino Burjanadze and Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov.
At the OSCE Ministerial Council in Maastricht in early December U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called on Russia for the fulfillment of its commitment to close down the Batumi and Akhalkalaki bases as envisaged by the 1999 OSCE Istanbul treaty. However, the two countries still fail to agree over this issue.
During the meeting with Georgia’s Interim President Nino Burjanadze on December 25, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that at least 11 years would be needed to close down its two military bases in Georgia.
This timeframe is unacceptable for Tbilisi. Georgia demands the Russian troops’ withdrawal from Batumi, Akhalkalaki and Gudauta military bases within three years.
The visa regime between Russia and Georgia was also addressed during Nino Burjanadze’s visit. She said after the meeting with Vladimir Putin that the visa regime “does not foster strengthening of bilateral ties.”
Russia’s unilateral decision to impose simplified visa regime from December 9 only for the Adjara Autonomous Republic, further irritated the Georgian authorities. Tbilisi accused Russia of trying to undermine its sovereignty by introducing a new visa regime for Adjara.