Moscow expresses hope to maintain a direct dialogue with Tbilisi

By Tsotne Pataraia

Thursday, September 26

Talks on economic and humanitarian relations between Georgia and Russia had been held twice a year in Prague © Imedinews

Andrei Rudenko: “I hope that this channel of dialogue in one form or another will remain” © 1TV.ge

Foreign Ministry of Russia expresses hope to maintain a direct dialogue with Georgia after. The continuation of the talks, commonly known as “Abashidze – Karasin Format”, came under question after the resignation of former Russian Deputy FM Gregory Karasin earlier this year, who had represented Russia in the talks since the beginning.

Talks on trade, economic and humanitarian relations between Georgia and Russia had been held twice a year in Prague, with the involvement of Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Gregory Karasin and Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative for Russian Affairs Zurab Abashidze. The most recent meeting took place in June 2019

Russian President Vladimir Putin in early September dismissed Karasin from the post of deputy foreign minister of the Russian Federation. Instead, Yevgeny Ivanov was appointed as State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, and Andrei Rudenko, as deputy minister in charge of relations with the CIS countries.

Moscow hopes that this channel of dialogue with Tbilisi will continue. Andrei Rudenko, Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, told RIA Novosti that the issue of preserving the format of negotiations with the Special Representative of the Prime Minister of Georgia for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze after Grigory Karasin’s departure from the Russian Foreign Ministry to the Federation Council is being discussed: “Now this issue is being resolved, I hope that this channel of dialogue in one form or another will remain,” Rudenko said, answering the question whether the channel of dialogue with Abashidze will be preserved after Karasin’s departure and whether Rudenko himself plans to continue negotiations.

“Abashidze - Karasin Format” has been controversial since its creation. It was the part of the plan of restoration trade and economic relations with Russia, initiated by the Georgian Dream government in 2013 after it won the 2012 parliamentary elections. The opponents of this format would emphasize its dysfunctionality and discreteness, under which it would remain unclear what was discussed within the framework that gives Russia advantage to stay tete-a-tete with Georgia, without the involvement of international actors in the process. Moreover, the format inherited the threat of undermining the importance of “Geneva International Discussions” (UNRGID) between Georgia and Russia, moderated by the European Union, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the United Nations.

Diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia have been severed since the 2008 war. The dialogue between the countries was only in the format of the UNRGID and negotiations between Karasin and Abashidze, held since 2012 in Prague. Relations between the two countries were broken by the Georgian side after Moscow recognized the sovereignty of Abkhazia and South Ossetia on August 26, 2008. While Russian leaders have repeatedly stated that recognition of the independence of the two former Georgian autonomies reflects existing realities and is not subject to revision, the international community and Georgia see Russia's actions as an occupation and in violation of the principles of international law.