TBILISI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 02nd September, 2018) Georgians believe that Tbilisi's decision to sever diplomatic relations with Moscow was a mistake and want restoration of bilateral contacts, which will be the only effective means to solve the issue of the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
On this day ten years ago, Tbilisi cut diplomatic relations with Moscow following then Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's decision to recognize independence of Georgia's breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Georgia's new government which came to power in October 2012, has said that restoration of friendly relations with Russia is one of priorities of the country's foreign policy.
Due to the absence of official diplomatic ties between the two countries, Russia and Georgia maintain dialogue via Geneva-mediated talks and regular meetings of Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze. The format of the meetings does not presuppose political discussions, but allows to address such issues as trade, transport communications, cultural and humanitarian cooperation.
A Sputnik correspondent talked to Tbilisi residents and reported their opinions on relations with Russia and the decision of the Georgian authorities to sever ties ten years ago.
"Due to mistakes committed in 2008, the Georgian authorities and [former Georgian President Mikheil] Saakashvili, in particular, cut diplomatic relations with Russia, but it happened after Russia recognized independence of the two regions. It could have been avoided and we would still have those 20 percent of the territory," 52-year-old Bejan Samsonidze told Sputnik.
According to Samsonidze, Georgian politicians constantly claim that they will return the lost territories peacefully and the republics will want to be part of Georgia again once the country becomes prosperous, but people no longer believe such rhetoric.
"We need dialogue with Russia, we need negotiations with Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Only then relations can be restored and problems solved," Samsonidze said.
Another resident of the capital, Marina Yemukhvari of Abkhaz origin, said that she saw no opportunity to return to Abkhazia.
"Everybody knows that Georgia severed diplomatic relations, but so many years have passed. Will it always be this way? My refugee relatives live in Moscow. Now there is a chance to get a visa and go see them, but concrete steps are necessary to solve other problems. I think that the authorities can return lost lands only by talking to Russia, so they need to act," Yemukhvari said.
ERRONEOUS DECISION TO START DIPLOMATIC ROW
Leader of the "Eurasian Choice-Georgia" coalition Archil Chkoidze said that Georgia's decisions to start a military offensive in 2008 and then cut diplomatic ties with Russia were a big mistake.
"Despite the fact that we have had many grievances to Russia starting the 1990s, the fact is that solution of the existent problems with Abkhazia and Tskhinvali region can only be found in settling relations with Russia. Diplomatic ties are necessary to restore Georgia's territorial integrity, I think the lawmakers should do just that," Chkoidze told Sputnik.
According to Chkoidze, since Saakashvili's presidency there have been many incompetent people in power in Georgia, hence the problems in the country's foreign policy.
The republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared independence from Georgia in the early 1990s. On August 7, 2008, Georgia launched a military offensive against its breakaway region of South Ossetia and then partially destroyed its capital, Tskhinval. Russia sent troops to South Ossetia in an attempt to protect local residents, many of whom were Russian nationals. After five days of hostilities, Russia expelled Georgian troops from the self-proclaimed republic and shortly after recognized South Ossetia and Abkhazia's independence.
