Georgia seeks to end war with Russia
By Mushvig Mehdiyev
Georgia is knocking on NATO’s door because it wants to end the war with Russia rather than ignite it, said a top Georgian official.
Georgia’s Parliamentary Speaker Davit Usupashvili talked on his country's foreign policy priorities, desire to join the European Union and NATO, as well as the threats from Russia and the lari's devaluation in his speech at Georgetown University as part of his visit to the U.S.
"The main goal of my visit is to convince the U.S. rulers that Georgia is a reliable partner," he said.
Usupashvili reiterated that Georgia will continue following the
European path, since it is part of the European civilization.
"We belong to the European civilization and we want to be part of
it. That’s why we are knocking on Europe’s door. Despite hearing
that there is no room for us as it already consists of 28 members,
we will still pursue our aspirations. We have achieved immense
progress by signing the Association Agreement with the EU last
summer," he noted.
Commenting on the conflict in Ukraine, Ususpashvili said it was the
continuation of the 2008 war in Georgia.
"Our position remains unchanged - events in Ukraine are a distinct
part of the same plan. We inform our friends that Russian
aggression in Georgia is ongoing amid the terrible events which we
have seen unfold in Ukraine. The only way forward is to oppose such
reality together," he added.
Russia has signed consecutive Alliance and Strategic Partnership deals with the separatist regimes in Georgia's breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions, which Tbilisi called an intention to annex those regions.
As a response to Moscow, the Georgian government announced that it will not sit back an inch from its position on the breakaway regions.
The relations between Georgia and Russia reached a critical point when Georgian troops launched several military operations to retake the breakaway Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions on August 8, 2008. At which point the Russian armed forces entered the regions to stop all military attacks by Georgian troops. After four days of intense fighting, Georgian forces were expelled from South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Both sides agreed to a ceasefire on August 12. Russia is currently dominating the collective peacekeeping missions in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
- - -
Follow Mushvig Mehdiyev on Twitter: @Mushviggo
Follow us on Twitter: @AzerNews