The Messenger, Georgia
June 2 2005

On eve of CIS summit, Tbilisi calls for reforms
Prime Minister says Georgia will participate in minority of meetings
By Christina Tashkevich

PM Zurab Noghaideli
Delegations from 11 countries will convene in Tbilisi on June 3 to
discuss a variety of issues concerning the Commonwealth of
Independent States.

Already on Wednesday, the Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik
Margarian arrived in Tbilisi ahead of the conference to hold meetings
with Georgian officials.

The Executive Secretary of CIS Vladimir Rushailo arrived in Tbilisi
on Tuesday to monitor the preparations for the meeting. Rushailo met
with the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, the Prime Minister
Zurab Noghaideli, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome
Zourabichvili to discuss the agenda for the meeting and the future
CIS summit in Kazan on August 27.

According to Rushailo, 26 agreements would be signed at the meeting.
“These documents are prepared by experts and their signing will
happen without preliminary discussion,” he said.

However the Georgian PM is questioning the alliance’s structure.
During the government session Wednesday, Noghaideli said, “The CIS is
in need of reform.”

According to him, Georgia will have “many important bilateral
meetings” during the summit and he adds Georgia expects important
results from them. However, the prime minister also added that out of
34 issues to be discussed at the summit, Georgia will participate in
a mere eight of them. “This fact points to the necessity of CIS
reformation,” Noghaideli said on Wednesday. “Each country-the CIS
member must see the possibility to realize its main interests within
the functions of the organization.” He then added that the main
interest for Georgia is the settlement of conflicts.

Although conflict settlement in CIS countries is not on the agenda at
the meeting, Rushailo does not exclude that this issue will be
discussed.

In the meantime, the Russian news agency Itar Tass reports the
Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome Zourabichvili does not
exclude the possibility that the presidents of Russia and Georgia
will sign a framework agreement, which will outline the two country’s
relations, in Kazan, Russia, on August 27 at the CIS summit.

“The work on the frame agreement continues. We think that this
document will open new possibilities in bilateral relations,”
Zourabichvili said.

However she added before the agreement is signed both sides should
see progress in existing problems, like the withdrawal of Russian
bases.

Zourabichvili also said that Georgia expects Vladimir Putin to visit
Tbilisi after the agreement is signed.