Georgia hopes for some progress within Geneva format
Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Pandzhikidze expressed hope for achieving some success within the Geneva format under the new regime.
There are two formats of relations with Russia, the Geneva format and Abashidze-Karasin meetings, she said at a press conference on Monday.
According to Pandzhikidze, the Geneva format has been operating for several years, however, yielding no results.
"There are two groups: for the security and humanitarian issues. Unfortunately, no progress was reached in any direction. Nevertheless, it is the only format where Georgia has a dialogue with Russia with the participation of international organizations and the United States, so it remains the most important one. Hopefully, in subsequent rounds, we will succeed," the head of the Foreign Ministry said.
According to her, one of the participants in this format, the EU representative Philippe Lefort, with whom she will discuss what to expect from the next round, has arrived today.
"With regard to the second format, no one ever said that with its help we would be able to solve our main problem - the country's de-occupation. We are realists. This is a pragmatic approach, and we believe, if we can identify common interests, this can lead to an improvement general position. We have identified precisely the topics that were discussed: the economy, trade, cultural and humanitarian issues. The aggressive rhetoric present in the past will not be repeated, and this will lead to an improvement of the political climate," Pandzhikidze said.