The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on September 30 that they have noticed “the ballyhoo raised in Tbilisi” over the recent meeting of the Georgian and Russian Foreign Ministers, Davit Zalkaliani and Sergey Lavrov, respectively.
“We again hear faded theses about ‘occupation.’ It also seems that our Georgian colleagues are not that much worried over the content and focus of these negotiations, but rather of their protocol and format,” it said, noting that “the interests of Russian and Georgian people require direct and honest talks.”
It also said, the recent meeting of Lavrov and Zalkaliani on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York was focused on finding the ways out of the “uneasy situation” in the Russo-Georgia relations, including the “well-known developments of June-July.”
“We would like to thank Switzerland, which has represented Russian interests in Georgia and Georgian interests in Russia for the past 11 years and which contributed to the organization of the above meeting,” the Russian Foreign Ministry concluded.
The meeting, which has been welcomed by the Georgian officials and the international community, including the United States, the European Union, the United Nations and the OSCE, has been criticized by the Georgian opposition.
Although Switzerland immediately announced that as part of its Good Offices it “has initiated and facilitated” the meeting, Minister Lavrov said the following day that it was his Georgian counterpart Davit Zalkaliani, “who himself demanded the meeting.”
The Georgian Foreign Ministry has been denying Lavrov’s words so far, however, the Vice-Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia, Gia Volski told journalists today that “Georgia requested the meeting.”
Read also:
- 28/09/2019 – Lavrov Says Zalkaliani Requested Meeting
- 27/09/2019 – U.S. State Department on Georgian, Russian FMs’ Meeting
- 27/09/2019 – Ruling Party, Opposition Assess Georgian, Russian FMs’ Meeting
- 27/09/2019 – UN, OSCE, U.S. Welcome Georgian, Russian FMs’ Meeting
- 27/09/2019 – EU Statement on Georgian, Russian FMs’ Meeting
- 26/09/2019 – Georgian, Russian FMs Hold Swiss-Mediated Meeting on UNGA Sidelines
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