BELGIUM/ FILE: Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili calls on EU to stop Russia from dominating conflicts on its doorstep

Record ID: 643604

  • Title: BELGIUM/ FILE: Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili calls on EU to stop Russia from dominating conflicts on its doorstep
  • Date: 17th May 2007
  • Summary: (CEEF) TSKHINVALI, SOUTH OSSETIA, GEORGIA (FILE - NOVEMBER 13, 2006) (REUTERS) ROOF TOPS AND ROAD DAMAGED WALL OF HOUSE TWO WOMEN WALKING RUSTED EMBLEM OF SOUTH OSSETIAN REPUBLIC STANDING AGAINST HILL RUSTED EMBLEM WITH BULLET HOLES IN IT HOUSES WITH TREES IN THE BACKGROUND
  • Embargoed: 1st June 2007 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: International Relations
  • Reuters ID: LVA5TDK7ZWGYDG5SERE8J26EUPF
  • Story Text: Georgia has appealed to the European Union to step up involvement as a broker in simmering conflicts on its doorstep to stop Russia from calling all the shots in the region.

    Georgia's Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvili set out in an interview Georgian hopes for closer ties with the West, including fresh steps towards NATO entry and a visa deal with the European Union next year, to be followed by a Georgia-EU trade pact by 2009.
    Speaking of tensions with pro-Moscow separatists in the provinces of South Ossetia and Abkhazia he said he did not want to see a dominant power of Russia over the conflicts.
    Georgia last month created a temporary administration in South Ossetia that was seen as boosting local politicians loyal to Tbilisi and a step towards edging the sliver of land in the Caucasus mountains back under its control.
    Bezhuashvili said Tbilisi could envisage similar moves in Abkhazia, which broke away from Georgia in 1993 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, but noted such steps would be more difficult because of ethnic tensions in the area.
    "We would love to do the same, not in the same format but with the same spirit with our Abkhazian compatriots. I think we will come up with a sound formula for Abkhazia as well. It just needs the time and effort to keep cool, to keep calm," Bezhuashvili said.
    But he said he did not want to see a dominant power of Russia over the conflicts and called on the EU to help normalise relations and bring down Russia to a normal diplomatic level of relations.
    "We are facing this factual reality that Russia has a role to play, no doubt, I would not put it as a dominant role. I don't want to see a dominant power of Russia over the conflict. I want Russian power to be equalised by significant players in the European area, in the European Union. Equalising Russian dominant power over negotiating process is one of our priorities and its a simple, we are saying lets broaden a group of interesting parties and it looks like and there is an interest in the European Union to play a role," Bezhuashvili said.
    Bezhuashvili had just held talks with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and others.
    Solana's office issued a short statement after the talks late on Tuesday (May 15) calling on Tbilisi to engage constructively with Russia but did not refer specifically to any EU role.
    Tbilisi's pro-Western leadership accuses Moscow of actively supporting pro-Russian rebels there. Russia says Georgia wants to regain control over the regions by stirring up military conflict.
    Bezhuashvili said Georgia was ready to pursue dialogue with Moscow over the dispute and also urged EU leaders to raise the matter with President Vladimir Putin at a summit on Friday already weighed down by a series of EU-Russia disagreements.
    Bezhuashvili signalled the government of President Mikhail Saakashvili, who came to power on the back of the "Rose Revolution" street rallies of 2003, would maintain its pro-West path with efforts to deepen ties with the EU and NATO.
    In talks with NATO chiefs later on Wednesday (May 16) Bezhuashvili is due to put the case for Georgia to win a membership action plan (MAP) to discuss its entry ambitions before an alliance summit to be held in Bucharest in the first half of next year.
    While stressing he was not setting target dates, Bezhuashvili said he hoped Georgia could some time next year join other neighbours such as Ukraine which have visa deals with the EU making it easier for its nationals to travel in the bloc.
    "I think, I think the process we have started is extremely important. Its again a 2-way street. Its not like a wish-list of Georgia. There are a lot of benefits that, from many perspectives that the European Union can get out of including Georgia: its a Black Sea country, its a very important transit route from Central Asia to Europe. So bringing Georgia closer I think will make European space, European Union much more secured in many respects," the foreign minister said.
    Georgia will launch a feasibility study next month to assess the scope for setting up a free trade pact with the EU, with Bezhuashvili pointing out such a move would benefit both sides.
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