Moscow/Agency Caucasus – Georgia’s President Mikheil Saakashvili appeared after his talks with Russian officials in Russia’s capital Moscow to be guaranteed by Russia’s President Vladimir Putin that Russia would definitely not recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
"There is recently some speculation in the news media about Kosovo, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. However, Russia made it clear that it would recognize neither Abkhazia nor South Ossetia," said Saakashvili after he met with Putin.
Given his statement, Saakashvili appeared to give up his promises he made prior to the January elections that he would regain the administrative control over Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
This time Saakashvili stressed the role of diplomacy and said that the Georgian Group of Friendship negotiations, conducted in Genova between February 18 and 19, turned out to be positive and constructive. "It was a much more prosperous occasion for talks compared with the past. We will take all diplomatic steps. It all depends on us to solve the problem, of course. Nobody can solve it without us," Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili also spoke of the news that flights between the two countries would resume soon. The flights were suspended because of a crisis over spying that occurred last year when it was expected that tension between Georgia and Moscow would reach its utmost point.
Putin was reported to be upset by Georgia’s efforts to become a member of the NATO, North Atlantic Treaty Organization. According to Putin, this move of Georgia would definitely be met with displeasure. It remains mysterious whether Georgia is seeking NATO membership as part of its plans to take back the control over Abkhazia and Georgia. FT
