A senior Russian diplomat said in a statement that Russia is open to negotiations to withdraw its troops from occupied Georgia.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Russia was “ready to support” reconciliation in Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, where Russia has had a strong military presence since 2008.
Speaking at the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Sunday, Foreign Minister Lavrov said: “The current Georgian leadership is simply evaluating the past honestly. They said: “We want historical reconciliation.” spoke.
“And it is up to both Abkhazia and South Ossetia to decide what form this reconciliation will take. They are Georgia’s neighbors, so some kind of contact is inevitable in any case.
“If there is an interest from all sides to normalize these relations and ensure a non-aggression pact…if the parties are interested, we are ready to assist.”
Newsweek magazine has contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Georgian Foreign Minister for comment on the situation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novgorod Technical School on September 21, 2022. Russia is open to negotiations to withdraw its troops from occupied Georgia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Novgorod Technical School on September 21, 2022. Russia is open to negotiations to withdraw its troops from occupied Georgia, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. Gavril Grigorov/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images
The Georgian government considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be occupied territories, and most Western governments, including the United States, consider the region to be part of Georgia.
However, Russia, along with Venezuela, Syria and several other countries, considers the region to be a separate country.
The region has been under Russian military control since 2008, when Kremlin-backed forces invaded South Ossetia and marched toward the capital, Tbilisi, as part of a five-day war.
Kaka Karadze, secretary general of the ruling Georgian Dream party and mayor of Georgia’s capital Tbilisi, said Lavrov’s comments were well received.
He added: “The fact that Russia welcomes reconciliation and promotes it is certainly positive. But I say that after these statements it would be better to take effective measures.” .
Georgia’s Dream party, which is up for re-election at the end of October, has sought to forge closer ties with Russia in recent years, resisting calls to impose trade sanctions on the country following the invasion of Ukraine.
Georgian Dream Party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili promised in September that Georgian authorities would “find the strength” to apologize for the 2008 South Ossetia war. The move prompted protesters and relatives of those killed in the war to gather outside the parliament building. Tbilisi.
The withdrawal of Russian troops from Georgia will free up resources for the continuing conflict in Ukraine, which is increasing the strain on Russia’s military infrastructure.
Last Friday, it was reported that Ukrainian forces used jet skis to navigate the Dnieper River and successfully removed several Russian agents.
A Ukrainian FPV drone operator reportedly shot down several soldiers, according to footage widely shared on social media.
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