“Over the last two years the Georgian government has taken constructive and pragmatic steps towards normalising relations with Russia and is holding a direct dialogue with Russia,” he said.
“I can’t believe that Russia will respond to our steps by signing a treaty with Abkhazia. This should not be in the Russian interests,” Garibashvili said.
“At the meeting in Prague [October 16] within the ‘Abashidze-Karasin’ format Russia confirmed that this treaty was being discussed,” he said.
Earlier, Georgian special envoy for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze said in Prague that the signing of the treaty on cooperation and integration between Russia and Abkhazia will be considered by the Georgian authorities as a step towards annexation of Abkhazia.
“The treaty of friendship with Abkhazia was signed in 2008 just after the aggression of Mikheil Saakhashvili. Since then about 80 different treaties have been concluded. After the elections took place in Abkhazia and after the new power took office, the need arose to arrange and systematise the whole system,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said earlier.
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