Saakashvili reacts to Medvedev's interview

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has commented on the interview of his Russian counterpart, Dmitry Medvedev. Speaking at the youth camp at the Black Sea resort of Anaklia late on Tuesday, Saakashvili said he has not even seen the interview from the beginning to the end.

“Two days ago I saw on TV the president of a much bigger country than ours (despite the fact that he is a president of such a big country, in reality he has no power or was not given any power and in reality he is under the shadow of another person),” Saakashvili said “honestly, I did not even see the interview through to the end – I have many other things to do, but according to my press service staff, the interview lasted 55 minutes and 39 minutes of it was dedicated to me. Sometimes I think, does the president of such a big country, even the leader with limited powers, have nothing else to do but to think so much about the Georgian President? If he is talking about me for 40 minutes, he must have thought [about me] for 40 days and even 40 months,” the Georgian president added.

Saakashvili suggested “this is not a normal condition.” “We do not want to be part of various geopolitical games. Personally I am pleased by building, pleased for example by the fact that this camp was built up,” he said.

Saakashvili touched upon the issue of the Caucasus conflicts, saying that there are “big problems” between Armenia and Azerbaijan. “These are our problems, Georgian people’s problems too. However I am convinced the time when the Caucasus will be united, when these people will solve problems together just like the European Council’s peoples, Benelux and Scandinavian people, is not so far away,” he said, adding that the Caucasus region has “absolutely all needed resources” to be “free, united and integrate through maintaining its borders, nations and distinguishing features.”

Speaking in Anaklia situated at the administrative borderline with Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia, Saakashvili said that 60-70 kilometres from the wall separating Georgia and its breakaway region, “there is emptiness.” “On the one hand Georgia is built up very quickly. I saw many new hotels, new boulevard, new bridge under construction named the Bridge of Unity,” he said “on the other hand, there is only a military base, tanks and barb wire there. And then there is emptiness, hopelessness, destruction and no prospects,” Saakashvili added.