Russian Diplomat Says Georgians Should Not Expect Visa Requirements to be Lifted
At his meeting on Tuesday in Prague with the Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative for Relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, Grigory Karasin, stated that Georgians should not expect Russia to lift visa requirements.
"We are not against a visa-free regime, but we do not have diplomatic relations. We first need to calmly discuss all measures concerning the security of the two countries in the framework of the respective agencies," Karasin said.
Russian news agency Tass says that the diplomat welcomed the decision of the European Parliament to lift visa requirements for Georgia once a suspension mechanism goes into force.
“He voiced hope that this would help to solve the issue of ‘unblocking’ the citizens of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, two breakaway republics recognized by Russia as independent states in August 2008,” the article reads.
Moreover, Tass reports that Abashidze said Georgia is ready to welcome Russia’s steps aimed at easing visa restrictions or even waiving visas.
"If Russia takes further steps to ease visa restrictions or even waive visas for Georgian citizens, we will welcome it, but we understand that it’s for the Russian authorities to decide," Abashidze said. “However, the absence of diplomatic ties between Georgia and Russia has nothing to do with lifting visa restrictions,” he added, pointing to the fact that in March 2012, Georgia unilaterally waived visas for Russian nationals.
“We abolished the visa regime for Russian citizens even without diplomatic ties with Russia,” Abashidze said.
At the meeting, Russia’s Karasin also raised the issue of Georgian Vice-Colonel Giorgi Tsertsvadze, accused of murder and wanted by Interpol on Russia’s request.
"Gia Tsertsvadze’s case concerns a criminal offense committed on the territory of Russia in 2003. We have the documentation. We do not send unfounded requests to Interpol,” he said.
Abashidze argued that the case does not fit the topic of the meeting, though he himself raised the case of Georgian, Giorgi Giunashvili, who was sentenced by a Tskhinvali puppet court to 20 year’s imprisonment for alleged military activities against South Ossetian soldiers.
Trade-economic issues, transport communication, certain humanitarian and customs monitoring problems were also discussed during the three-hour meeting.
Despite some contradictory statements, both diplomats agreed that the meeting format helps to normalize relations between Georgia and Russia, and Abashidze noted that regular dialogue with Russia helped Georgia to achieve progress with the EU in regards to visa liberalization.
“Georgia’s European partners support the Georgia-Russia dialogue and recognize its importance in maintaining stability in the region,” he said.
Karasin and Abashidze agreed to hold another meeting in two months.
The first Abashidze-Karasin meeting took place in Geneva on December 14, 2012.
Since 2013, the meetings have been held in Prague. The meetings constitute a direct dialogue between the two countries’ officials following the 2008 Russian-Georgian war.
Thea Morrison