TBILISI, October 22. /TASS/. Georgian prime minister’s special envoy for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze is convinced that direct dialogue with Russia should be continued. He said so at a joint meeting of several republican parliamentary committees in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi on Wednesday.

“We should continue direct dialogue with Russia,” he said. “Debate goes on in the society whether direct dialogue with Russia is needed. It is easy to stop this process, but what will it bring?"

In his words, meetings between him and Russian State Secretary and Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin have created background and conditions to revive and develop bilateral cooperation in trade, economy, transport, humanitarian sphere and to resume and increase Georgian export to Russia.

Several Georgian politicians and particularly representatives of the former ruling United National Movement party have urged recently the country’s government to stop talks in the Abashidze-Karasin format in protest against possible signing of the accord on cooperation and integration between Russia and southern Caucasian Abkhazia republic that plans “formation of a joint army grouping of Russia and Abkhazia.” However, despite this situation most Georgian state officials said that direct dialogue with Russia is needed.