“They say they want a historic reconciliation,” Foreign Minister Lavrov said of the ruling Georgian Dream party. “What form this reconciliation will take is for the Abkhazian and South Ossetian oblasts to decide…If there is interest from all sides in normalizing these relations…we are ready to help. .”
Kakha Kaladze, a former Inter Milan footballer and current Georgian Dream mayor of Tbilisi, responded to the comments late on Sunday, saying he welcomed such a move from Moscow.
“After these statements, it is good to move on to practical measures,” he said, adding that reunification can only be achieved “through peace, development and mutual forgiveness.” He said Russia may draw up an “action plan” to withdraw its troops from Georgia’s internationally recognized territory.
On Thursday, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze reiterated that “20 percent of our territory is illegally occupied” by separatists, but Georgia and the two de facto autonomous regions where the military is allowed to remain. He argued that it was possible to “repair all the broken bridges” between the two countries. , political and economic support from Russia.
Kobakhidze’s Georgian Dream party has announced that it will apologize to the affected areas for the 2008 war if it wins next month’s national elections.
Earlier this month, Moscow suspended significant funding to Abkhazia after local leaders refused to implement several pro-Russian policies. The split leaves the future of the unrecognized state uncertain, given its economic dependence on Russia for salary and pension payments. Abkhazia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Shamba also said that the Russian government would switch to collecting regional energy commercial tariffs, which have historically been deeply discounted.
Georgia Dream pursues rapprochement with Russia despite the Ukraine war, strengthens trade ties and rejects sanctions against Russia. The government has said it will implement Russian-style laws that brand Western-backed NGOs and media outlets as “foreign agents,” effectively outlaw public mention of LGBTQ+ rights and ban opposition activities. They faced widespread street protests over their statements.
The EU froze Georgia’s candidacy for EU membership, and the US imposed targeted sanctions on politicians and officials responsible for the rollback of human rights. Georgians head to the polls next month in crucial parliamentary elections that both sides say will decide the country’s future.
