The key facts
- Giorgi Kobakhidze — former first deputy head of Georgia's Foreign Ministry — has been appointed special representative for relations with the Russian Federation
- Konstantin Zatulin assessed the decision as a 'step in the right direction'
- Tbilisi named peaceful settlement, trade, and humanitarian dialogue as priorities
Appointment of a Special Representative
Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze announced on Wednesday, October 21, that Giorgi Zurabishvili has been appointed special representative for relations with Russia. Prior to this appointment, Zurabishvili held the post of first deputy head of Georgia's Foreign Ministry.
Tbilisi's Priorities
According to Georgia's prime minister, one of the country's important priorities is the peaceful settlement of the conflict with Russia, the preservation and development of existing trade relations, as well as maintaining a permanent dialogue on humanitarian issues.
Reaction in the State Duma
Konstantin Zatulin, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs and Relations with Compatriots, told Gazeta.Ru in a comment that the decision to appoint a special representative was a 'step in the right direction' from the point of view of developing relations between the two countries. According to him, relations between Russia and Georgia should exist and develop, but they are complicated by Georgia's official position, which does not recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and blames the Russian Federation, rather than its own mistakes in the past, for their existence.
Context
Earlier, Georgia had called the European Union's position toward Russia 'pharisaical.'
