Interfax's Interview

 "We would like to see Georgian-Abkhaz dialogue in line with the terms of the Coordination Council and under UN patronage. The EU, the U.S., Russia and the UN Secretary General's Group of Friends of Georgia should be able to contribute to this process," he said.

"To settle the Georgian-Ossetian conflict, we propose bilateral dialogue under the patronage of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe [OSCE]," he said.
 "The efficiency of this format could be considerably strengthened with the participation of the EU, the U.S. and Russia.

"These formats are not new. They have been developed throughout the settlement process, but lately they have been unjustly forgotten," he said.

Russia's role in the settlement of both conflicts "could be extremely positive if it contributed to direct bilateral dialogue between the sides and to the establishment of new, more efficient negotiating and peacekeeping formats," he said.

"Russia must stop seeking advantage from the Kosovo issue, feeding the unfounded hopes of separatist regimes and consolidating their positions thus undermining the process of peaceful settlement," he said.

"We do not intend to introduce any foreign armed forces to Georgia, or create any bridgeheads for NATO forces," he said, when asked about the claims that Tbilisi wishes to push Russian peacekeepers from the conflict zones to be replaced by NATO soldiers.
 "The withdrawal of Russian peacekeepers is not the main goal for us. Our goal is to settle the conflicts through the creation of relevant working formats," he said.

The Georgian foreign minister also stated that allegations that NATO members have been supplying weapons to Georgia in amounts greater than permitted by international obligations were groundless.

"Georgia is showing complete transparency in its military purchases and it procures its armaments legally, observing all international norms and regulations and strictly in terms of the quotas previewed by the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe [CFE Treaty]," he said.

In September 2006, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that some countries that had recently joined NATO are supplying arms to Georgia in violation of international agreements, and that "serious" NATO members agreed with Russia's position.

"Some NATO members are violating the arms trade rules generally accepted in world practice and in reality discredit the certificate's 'final user,'" he said.

În Georgia - Russia relations Bezhuashvili welcomed the Russian leadership's decision to return the Russian ambassador to Georgia.

"We welcome the Russian leadership's decision to send the ambassador back to Georgia and are prepared for productive cooperation with him," he said.

The Russian ambassador was recalled to Moscow for consultations last year.

"We have said on many occasions that recalling Russian diplomats and the ambassador was a groundless and improper measure," Bezhuashvili said.

"Georgia is interested in good neighborly, predictable and stable relations with Russia - equitable relations based on mutual respect in deed, not words," he said.

"This means, first of all, respect for our state's sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders," Bezhuashvili said.

"Georgia is not interested in picturing Russia as an enemy. On the contrary, we and the world community as a whole are interested in maximum productive cooperation with Russia," he said.

Georgia will always consistently defend its vital interests and sovereignty and use all possible diplomatic means to attain this goal, including the format of international organizations, he said.

"The problem is that Georgia's efforts to defend its legitimate interests, including its territorial integrity and sovereignty, are seen by Russia as 'anti-Russian rhetoric,'" he said.

"This is an improper and simplistic qualification of the situation," he added.

"One must understand and accept that each country is free to choose its own way of development and, accordingly, to build good-neighborly relations based on this understanding," Bezhuashvili said.

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