Russia Hails Agreements between Tbilisi and Batumi

Moscow welcomes the agreement reached between Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili and Adjarian leader Aslan Abashidze.

As the Russian Foreign Ministry reports, Russia had from the very beginning called for settlement of the problems existing between Tbilisi and Batumi through a dialogue.

“In the last few days, when tension around Adjara had reached dangerous level, the Russian side had been in continual contact with the Georgian President and Adjarian leader, pursuing the supreme goal of preventing force solution of the crisis. In this context useful efforts had been undertaken by Mayor of Moscow Yuri Luzhkov,” the statement issued by the Russian Foreign Ministry on March 19 reads.

The Russian Foreign Ministry called on the sides to continue working over normalization of relations by political methods, which would help “promote stability and strengthen the territorial integrity of Georgia for the good of all the peoples living there”.