TBILISI, December 10. /TASS/. Georgian Foreign Minister Georgy Kvirikashvili says that "the existing format (of dialogue) between Georgia and Russia provides an opportunity to reach progress (in the relations between the two countries) on condition of political will from Moscow."
Commenting on the former Georgian Defense Minister Irakly Alasanya’s statement on "expedience of establishing a dialogue format Georgia-Germany-Russia," Kvirikashvili noted that "any constructive role that can be played by a third party will be welcome." "If this third party has influence on political decisions first of all in Moscow, we will only welcome it," the foreign minister stressed.
On Wednesday, former Georgian Defense Minister and leader of the "Free Democrats" party Irakly Alasanya proposed to establish a format of dialogue Georgia-Germany-Russia. Alasanya said "Germany is the partner that can precisely work on the prospects of settling relations between Georgia and Russia." "Tbilisi-Berlin-Moscow is the most important format that will gradually launch dialogue on solving the acutest problems between Georgia and Russia. In case the Free Democrats come to power, we intend to use this format," he noted.
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There are currently two channels of dialogue between Tbilisi and Moscow - the Abashidze-Karasin format and Geneva talks. Meetings between Georgian prime minister’s special representative for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze Abashidze and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Geirgory Karasin are the first direct dialogue between officials of Russia and Georgia since 2008. Discussions in this format are held every four months starting from December 2012. The first meeting between the official representatives since hostilities over the bordering South Ossetia region flared in 2008 opened near Geneva on December 14, 2012. The next seven meetings were held in Prague in 2013 and 2014 to discuss economic, humanitarian and cultural cooperation of the two countries.
The Geneva talks on security and stability in South Caucasus have been held since October 2008 under the auspices of the European Union, United Nations and Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe with participation of delegations of Georgia, Russia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.