Moscow is ready to help Georgia reconcile with its 'neighboring countries' – Abkhazia and 'South Ossetia' – Russian FM
Lavrov statement on Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Moscow is ready to mediate reconciliation between Georgia and its “neighbors” – the “countries of Abkhazia and South Ossetia” if the parties are interested.
“The current Georgian government is simply assessing the past fairly. They’ve even said they want historical reconciliation. As for the form this reconciliation will take, it’s up to the countries themselves – Abkhazia and South Ossetia. They are Georgia’s neighbors, and some level of contact is inevitable.
If there is interest from both sides in normalizing these relations and ensuring a non-aggression agreement… we will be ready to assist if the parties are interested,” Lavrov said.
Lavrov statement on Abkhazia and South Ossetia
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Khatia Dekanoidze, a member of the “Unity – National Movement” party, responded to the statement made by the Russian foreign minister. According to her, Ivanishvili [honorary chairman of the ruling “Georgian Dream” party who is concidered an informal ruler of Georgia] has decided to recognize the occupied territories.
“Lavrov said: if Georgia recognizes Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region as independent states, Russia will ‘help them settle relations,’ since, according to him, the Georgian government has reassessed the past.
In other words, first recognize their independence and admit that Georgia is the aggressor, and then we’ll help you (cynical).
The Imedi TV channel distorted this statement, removed the part about recognition, and created a graphic that others are spreading. Propagandists from Post TV and others are sharing this and praising Lavrov. Ivanishvili has already decided to recognize our occupied territories. These traitors are worse than the Russians!” Dekanoidze wrote.
Mamuka Khazaradze, leader of the “Strong Georgia” party, also commented on Lavrov’s statement, calling it a “provocation” by Russia:
“This is yet another provocation, the propaganda which especially intensifies during elections. Such a statement supposedly helps ‘Georgian Dream,’ creating euphoria as if Russia will return something or settle the issue.
We need to say it plainly: Russia is an occupier; it has taken not only our territories but also people’s lives.
Today, Russia is waging a bloody war against Ukrainians. Until all this stops—primarily the false propaganda—and people who still believe in illusions wake up, we will have no progress. My assessment remains the same as in past years, for the last 33 years, since Russia occupied 20% of Georgia’s territory. From that day, we’ve all been saying that Russia is an aggressor and the initiator of war.”
Bidzina Ivanishvili, founder and honorary chairman of the “Georgian Dream” party, touched on the topic of the August war and the country’s territorial integrity during a speech in Gori. In this context, the informal leader of the country once again blamed not Russia, but the former government [Mikheil Saakashvili’s administration] for starting the 2008 war and announced plans to organize a “Nuremberg process” against the “National Movement” party [Saakashvili’s party].
According to Ivanishvili, the August war was a “provocation planned from abroad,” and the “instigator,” he said, was Georgia’s previous leadership. Against the backdrop of the Russian attack and subsequent occupation in 2008, Ivanishvili stated that after the elections, the former government would “surely find the strength to apologize for the fact that the ‘National Movement’ dragged our Ossetian brothers and sisters into the flames of war in 2008.”
Lavrov statement on Abkhazia and South Ossetia
