Talks about the reopening of the Georgian embassy in Moscow

Mikhail Galuzin, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation, said in an interview conducted by Izvestia on June 10 that there is talk of resuming diplimatic ties. It should be noted that since August 29, 2008, the two countries have closed their embassies, at the initiative of Georgia and as a result of the Russian-Georgian war of August 2008, won by Russia, which led to the separation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Georgian control. Currently, all consular and other diplomatic services are provided in Swiss embassies, where there are special sections.

Territorially, nothing has changed since then and Tbilisi and Moscow have not agreed on the new borders. The Russians are trying to make moves that will bring the two countries closer together, such as the establishment of the Russia-Georgia Business Council within the Chamber of Commerce and Industries of the Russian Federation.

We hope that the intensification of our commercial, economic, humanitarian, cultural and human cooperation with Georgia will gradually create the premises for the normalization of relations in the future.

MIHAIL GALUZIN

Mixed information has recently appeared in the Georgian press about preparations for the resumption of work in the Georgian embassy in Moscow. The ruling party, the Georgian Dream | ქართული ოცნება, denied this. This party was founded in 2012 by businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili | ბიძინა ივანიშვილი and removed from power, in the parliamentary elections of the same year, the pro-US government of former President Mikhail Sakashvili | მიხეილ სააკაშვილი and his party United National Movement | ერთიანი ნაციონალური მოძრაობა. Ivanishvili became prime minister at that time. On October 2013, during the presidential elections, Giorgi Margvelashvili | გიორგი მარგველაშვილი of the Georgian Dream party ousted Sakashvili.

At the moment, Ivanishvili no longer holds public office, but his opinions still weigh heavily. In this regard, he wants to develop Georgia so that it becomes an alternative for the inhabitants of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and thus achieves a peaceful reintegration of the territories. Earlier, Russia canceled the visa requirement for Georgians, and the two countries reactivated the air routes between them.