Kremlin message to Tbilisi: diplomatic ties with Russia would bring greater economic benefits
Kremlin message to Tbilisi
Russia is ready to expand cooperation with Tbilisi and is urging the Georgian authorities to consider the potential economic benefits of restoring diplomatic relations, Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin said in an interview with the state news agency TASS.
Georgia and Russia severed diplomatic relations after the August 2008 war. Since then, economic ties have gradually been restored, although political dialogue has remained limited. It is against this backdrop that the Kremlin’s message comes.
Mikhail Galuzin said that “Moscow is open to expanding Russian-Georgian ties” and described economic cooperation as the main driving force behind the process. He said cooperation with Russia was one of the key factors behind Georgia’s “unprecedented economic” recovery.
The deputy foreign minister added that the absence of political dialogue between the two countries “sharply contradicts” the economic dynamics, and suggested that achievements could be even greater if diplomatic relations were restored.
“That is their choice,” Galuzin said of the Georgian government, adding that Moscow is open to expanding cooperation wherever it brings mutual benefit.
In the interview, Galuzin also praised Georgia’s current government, saying it was seeking to “restore the country’s sovereignty”. At the same time, he criticised the previous government of Mikheil Saakashvili, whose policies, he said, were aimed at reorienting Georgia towards the West at the expense of cooperation with Russia.
Galuzin also said Georgian-Russian relations had a “natural character” and were “based on spiritual unity and centuries-old historical and cultural ties”, which, he argued, contradicted what he described as the Western narrative that such relations had been artificially imposed by Moscow.
He added that trade between the two countries reached a record $2.7bn in 2025. Galuzin also provided detailed figures on the share of Georgian products on the Russian market:
“Two-thirds of Georgian wine exports come to our market, more than half of its spirits, 40% of mineral water and 90% of fruit. Russia, in turn, is the leading supplier of wheat and oil to Georgia. The situation is similar in the tourism industry, which is crucial for Georgia. Nearly every fourth tourist comes from our country. I think cooperation with Russia is one of the main factors behind Georgia’s unprecedented economic growth,” Galuzin said.
Kremlin message to Tbilisi
