TBILISI, February 12. /ITAR-TASS/. Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze has acknowledged the possibility of a meeting between the Georgian and Russian leaders but said the issue needs careful work-through.
"We cannot rule out the possibility of such a meeting, but it's a very serious topic. Such a meeting should be carefully prepared; it cannot happen promptly," Panjikidze told reporters on Wednesday.
She did not rule out that the first details concerning this issue will become known after the upcoming meeting between Georgian prime minister's special representative for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in late February - early March.
The possibility of a top-level Russian-Georgian meeting moved the agenda after Russian president Vladimir Putin's remarks in Sochi on February 10. When asked by a Georgian journalist if the Russian leader planned to meet with the Georgian president, Putin answered: "why not, if he expresses such a wish."
For his part, his Georgian colleague stated on the same day that he would analyze the Russian president's words.
“If there is a possibility that such a meeting will give a positive impetus to Georgian-Russian relations, if there is the readiness to discuss serious issues, this will naturally serve as the basis for consultations both inside Georgia and with our Western colleagues and as the basis for thinking about the possibility of holding such a meeting,” the Georgian president said.