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Russia, Georgia discuss new regional possibilities after Karabakh peace deal

The sides also reviewed bilateral trade and economic ties

MOSCOW, November 27. /TASS/. Member of Russia’s Federation Council Grigory Karasin held a talk via a video conference with Special Envoy of the Georgian Prime Minister for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze to discuss possibilities opening up in the sphere of transport and the economy following a trilateral agreement on Nagorno-Karabakh.

"In the context of discussing regional issues, the sides noted the importance of a statement adopted by the president of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the prime minister of the Republic of Armenia and the president of the Russian Federation on November 9, 2020 that made it possible to halt the hostilities and create conditions for stabilizing the situation in the area of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The implementation of these trilateral accords, in particular, on unblocking transport communications and economic ties, opens up new possibilities for all the Trans-Caucasian states, including Georgia," the statement says.

The sides also reviewed bilateral trade and economic ties. "Despite the political situation and difficulties related to the pandemic of the novel coronavirus infection, Russia remains Georgia’s second major foreign trade partner and a large importer of Georgian products, primarily, wine," the Foreign Ministry noted.

The Russian and Georgian representatives also discussed the possibilities of increasing the number of permits granted by the parties on a bilateral basis for freight road transport and the prospects of restoring the air service, it said.

"The conditions for this are well known: stopping anti-Russian manifestations in Georgia and eliminating the threats of security for Russian citizens. Also, the sanitary and epidemiological situation caused by the pandemic should normalize in both countries," the document says.

The talks were held within the framework of the existing Russia-Georgia informal dialogue mechanism. Representatives of the Foreign and Transport Ministries from both countries took part in the talks.