Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze has told Sputnik that he could hold a new meeting with Grigory Karasin, Russia's former Deputy Foreign Minister, who currently serves as an upper house lawmaker, on November 28 in Prague
TBILISI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th November, 2019) Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze has told Sputnik that he could hold a new meeting with Grigory Karasin, Russia's former Deputy Foreign Minister, who currently serves as an upper house lawmaker, on November 28 in Prague.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told Sputnik in late September that Moscow hoped to maintain dialogue in a format similar to that of Karasin-Abashidze negotiations even after Karasin's dismissal as deputy foreign minister. The Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said later that the next round of their consultations would take place in the Czech capital in late November.
"Our meeting will be held in late November, on the 28th, presumably," Abashidze said on Tuesday.
He went on to say that the talks would focus on development of cooperation on trade, the economy, transport and humanitarian ties, as well as on resumption of direct flights between the countries, suspended in July following anti-Russia protests in Tbilisi.
Georgia cut off its diplomatic ties with Russia after Moscow recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia in August 2008. Since then, the countries have no diplomatic relations and maintain dialogue within Geneva International Discussions, while Karasin and Abashidze used to hold Prague-format talks since 2012.
