RUSSIAN, GEORGIAN FOREIGN MINISTERS DISCUSS CONFLICTS
Civil Georgia, Georgia
May 23 2006
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described as “constructive” the
recent the talks with his Georgian counterpart Gela Bezhuashvili, which
took place on a sideline of a session of the Committee of Ministers
from the Council of Europe member states in Strasbourg on May 18-19.
Sergey Lavrov and Gela Bezhuashvili discussed bilateral relations and
conflict resolution issues, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry.
“I asked him [Bezhuashvili] not to create artificial problems around
the peacekeepers… We want that the peacekeepers to have normal
working conditions there,” Lavrov said.
Sergey Lavrov welcomed the creation of a joint Georgian-South Ossetian
working group, which will develop a joint peace program on conflict
resolution.
He also hailed setting up a consortium by the Georgian, Abkhaz,
Russian, and Armenian sides, which will rehabilitate the Abkhaz
section of the railway linking Russia with Georgia and Armenia.
However, the Russian Foreign Minister expressed concern over
“Tbilisi’s refusal” to approve the documents on security guarantees
and non-resumption of hostilities both regarding the Abkhaz and South
Ossetian conflicts.
Lavrov said that Bezhuashvili promised to accelerate the process
aiming at new registration of the internally displaced persons in
the Gali district of breakaway Abkhazia.
“I regret that the Georgian side drags out the process of registration
of those persons, who have already returned to the Gali district,”
Lavrov said.