Tbilisi hopes relations with Moscow to develop well
By Jamila Babayeva
Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze hopes that after the signing of the Association Agreement with the European Union and its ratification by the parliaments, the mutual relations between Georgia and Russia will continue to develop as earlier.
She made the remarks commenting on Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev's statement on Russia's protective measures in response to the ratification of the association agreements with the EU by Georgia and Ukraine.
"Each country certainly must protect its market. And Georgia has to protect its market," Panjikidze said. "We have started consultations with the Russian side so that the mutual relations between our countries have been developing as well as they began a year ago."
The Georgian and Russian experts held a consultation in Prague, on July 7. The sides discussed the possible impact of the Association Agreement signed by Georgia with the EU on the Georgian-Russian trade and economic relations and related technical issues.
Georgia and the EU signed the Association Agreement with the EU on June 27. The EU and Ukraine signed only the economic section of the agreement.
The agreement will enter into force after its ratification by the Georgian Parliament, as well as by the European Parliament and the parliaments of the EU member states. Romania became the first EU-member state to ratify EU's Association Agreements with Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine,
Georgian State Minister for Integration into European and Euro-Atlantic Structures Alexi Petriashvili said the ratification process of the Association Agreement by the signatories will be presumably completed by autumn.