GEORGIAN PRESIDENT WELCOMES OPENING OF BORDER WITH RUSSIA

ArmInfo
2010-03-03 11:10:00

ArmInfo. President of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili estimates positively
opening of the land state border with Georgia. This fact was stated by
President’s spokesperson Manana Manjgaladze at the briefing on Tuesday.

"Opening of CP "Kazbegi-Upper Lars" means that Russia as minimum
recognizes the state border with Georgia on this part of it",
Manjgaladze said on behalf of the president. "It is a positive
fact by which Russia acknowledged directly that economic embargo
imposed 2005 in has not justified itself", the spokesperson cited
the president’s words.

While touching the issue of regional security Manjgaladze said that
President considered that the closed border and block posts created
a greater danger than a legal border post where the state would have
possibility to establish the control using all legal methods.

As for rumors disseminated by different Mass Media last time as if
Russia claims for the territory of Stemantsminda (Kazbegi district)
and Kobi and Gudauri, President considers that "it is psychological
pressure first of all influencing the local population, potential
investors and, correspondingly, the country development’s rates",
Manjgaladze noted.

At the same time she stressed that talks on opening of the CP
"Kazbegi-Upper Lars" that had been held with Switzerland’s meditation,
did not mean that good relations were restored between Russia and
Georgia.

"It is complicated to talk about relations improvement when Russia does
not recognize democratically elected government of Georgia, its state
border and tries to legalize ethnic cleansing", Manjgaladze stressed,
BSP reports.