TBILISI, February 06. /ITAR-TASS/. No Georgian leader will attend the Olympic Games in Sochi, a representative of the Georgian Foreign Ministry told reporters on Thursday.
“Neither a government delegation nor separate representatives of the country’s leadership are going to the Sochi Olympics,” he said. “Only Georgian athletes, representatives of the Georgian National Olympic Committee and winter sports federations will be present at the Olympics in Sochi,” the diplomat said.
Earlier, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said President Vladimir Putin was ready to meet with Georgian President Georgy Margvelashvili and all other guests of the Games. However, “the list of the guests is being constantly updated,” Peskov said. “Some are added to it, others disappear, this is a normal process,” the spokesman added.
“Putin will communicate with all guests as the host, as he cannot leave them without attention,” he added. The format of these meetings could be different, he said.
Georgian Olympic delegation is already in Sochi. It consists of three athletes - downhill skiers Nino Tsiklauri, Iason Abramishvili, Alexi Beniaidze. Figure skater Elena Gedevanishvili is to join the national team on February 14. Also in Sochi are President of the Georgian National Olympic Committee Leri Khabelov, committee’s Vice President Mamuka Khabareli and Secretary General Emzar Zenaishvili, as well as leaders of some winter sports federations, and a modest group of Georgian reporters.