On October 17, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova reiterated Russia’s readiness to help Georgia “normalize relations” with Russian-occupied Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region. She also praised the current Georgian Dream government’s willingness to apologize to Tskhinvali and spoke of Western attempts to open a “second front” in Georgia.
Speaking about the occupied Georgian territories, she stressed that Russia’s priorities remain unchanged and include obtaining legally binding guarantees from Tbilisi on the non-use of force and on demarcation. Although she mentioned that it is not yet possible to achieve these goals, she also welcomed Georgia’s initiative to apologize to Tskhinvali, saying that it gives Russia “some hope”.
Zakharova stated that Russia is “encouraged” by the fact that there is now “public recognition” in Georgia that former President Mikheil Saakashvili, “a madman driven by passions, morbid ambitions, an unhealthy outlook on life, who became another victim of American deception,” was behind the August 2008 war. She also mentioned the Tagliavini report, claiming that it confirms the Russian point of view, and also lamented the fact that the EU is not as “decent and brave” as 15 years ago when people who represented it had “the courage to speak the truth.”
She expressed hope that GD’s attitude would be reflected in the work of the Georgian delegation at the next round of the Geneva International Discussions. She also said that occupied Abkhazia and Tskhinvali must also be ready to “turn the tragic page”, while noting that no one will forget what happened and expressed Moscow’s readiness to assist in the “normalization of relations” at both bilateral and multilateral levels. She added: “Moreover, the countries are ready to turn the page, with the emphasis on consolidating the statements made into concrete practical cases, starting with the conclusion of a legally binding agreement on the non-use of force on the part of Tbilisi.”
Commenting on GD’s “second front” issue, Zakharova stated: “It seems to me that the citizens of Georgia, despite the depth of their emotions about what happened to them in the first decade of the 21st century, understand the root cause of what happened…. People see what happened to them, that behind the words about freedom, democracy and everything good, there was a real dangerous “wolf”… It seems to me that the understanding of Saakashvili’s criminal adventurism, among other things, forms the current position of official Tbilisi and civil society in Georgia. That is why there are realistic assessments about the “second front”. I think that no one wants to get involved and become a “bargaining chip” in someone else’s game.”
Zakharova stressed that its necessary for Russia to “create a system of security” and “unite all sensible countries under the aegis of a new world order,” promising that after that “all the talk about the “second front”, about domination, about “divide and rule” will be irrelevant.”
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