Georgia’s President-Elect Sees No Sense in Negotiating with Russia at Present

Georgia’s President-Elect Salome Zurabishvili says there is no point in starting negotiations with Russia until it admits that it is occupying Georgian territories.

In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, Zurabishvili stated Russia was an “occupying power”, and the biggest concern was “that it’s unpredictable.”

“When you have an enemy that is known and predictable, you know what your next steps wil be. In this case, to be very frank, I don’t know what the next steps of Georgia should be in relations with Russia. It is so unpredictable and so overly present on our territory,” she said.

Zurabishvili said she wanted Georgia to be seen “not only through the Russian prism”, but as an ancient country that had a lot to offer the rest of the world. Raising its profile on its own would in turn help Georgia counter Russia.

“To make Georgia more present is also a way to make Russia less influential in our relations with European partners,” she said. “I’m convinced that we can ask much more from our European partners ... and I intend to be a more demanding partner for Europeans as well as for our NATO partners,” she added.

Zurabishvili said she would aim to use her new role to reconcile Georgia’s divided society, but said the opposition’s call for people to refuse to recognize the results of the election served Russia’s interests.

“That’s exactly what Russia would have wished for - to have a very divided and very weakened country and a discredited president whose legitimacy is under attack,” she said.

By Thea Morrison

Source: Reuters