Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, says that Russia is ready to take steps to normalize relations with Georgia, although there are no specific deadlines for the restoration of diplomatic relations.
Journalists asked him to comment on the statement by Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin that Russia is prepared to restore diplomatic relations with Georgia.
"There are no exact deadlines. However, if Russia is truly ready to normalize relations, that is true," Peskov said in response to a question about the existence of deadlines for addressing the issue.
"We are interested in establishing friendly relations with all countries that are ready for this and that want it," the Kremlin representative noted.
Today, the speaker of the Georgian Dream parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, commented on Mikhail Galuzin’s statement:
"As soon as we see steps to remove the barrier, it will, of course, be possible to restore relations. Everyone knows very well what the barrier is that prevents the restoration of relations between Georgia and Russia. The instrument for removing this barrier is in the hands of Russia. Therefore, we are waiting for exactly this. I cannot comment on other issues; the only issue is the occupation of Georgian territories. This is the sole barrier to normalizing relations between Georgia and Russia. Removing this barrier is up to Russia itself."
In an interview with Izvestia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin expressed his readiness to restore diplomatic relations with Tbilisi and noted that there is no need to "link" this issue with Russia’s decision to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.
"We have repeatedly stated, and I am ready to repeat, that the decision of the Russian Federation in August 2008 to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia is not subject to review," Galuzin said.
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