‘Frank’ Discussions on Georgia in Obama-Medvedev Talks

President Obama said he had “a frank discussion” on Georgia during the meeting with his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev. 

“I won’t pretend that the United States and Russia agree on every issue; as President Medvedev indicated we had some frank discussions in the areas where we still disagree, for instance we had a frank discussion on Georgia and I reiterated my firm belief that Georgia’s sovereign and territorial integrity must be respected,” President Obama said in his opening remarks at a joint news conference with his Russian counterpart after the talks in Moscow on July 6.

“Yet, even as we worked through our disagreements on Georgia’s borders, we do agree that no one has an interest in renewed military conflict. And going forward, we must speak candidly to resolve these differences peacefully and constructively,” he said.

"President Medvedev and I are committed to leaving behind the suspicion and the rivalry of the past, so that we can advance the interests that we hold in common," Obama added.

President Medvedev did not speak about Georgia in his opening remarks and no question was asked on the matter at the joint news conference.

During the talks in Moscow the two sides agreed to outline cuts in nuclear arsenals and a deal to allow the U.S. to conduct 4,500 flights over Russia a year carrying to transport the U.S. troops and weapons to Afghanistan. Other deals covered military cooperation and the creation of a new joint government commission.

“Obviously our two countries have their own understanding of their role, but at the same time we accept our wider responsibilities at a time when globalization means that the world depends on our decisions,” the Russian President said.

“The President and I agreed that the relationship between Russia and the United States has suffered from a sense of drift,” the U.S. President said. “We resolved to reset US-Russian relations so that we can cooperate more effectively in areas of common interest.”

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