GEORGIA REMAINS ready for talks with Russia, the country’s prime minister insisted yesterday, despite the discovery of an alleged Russian spy ring by Georgian authorities last week.
Moscow has accused Georgia of orchestrating a “blatant provocation” and “political farce” by announcing the arrests of 13 suspected agents ahead of a Nato summit in Lisbon later this month which will be attended by President Dmitry Medvedev.
Asked during a visit to Dublin if the espionage controversy had damaged prospects for dialogue, Georgian prime minister Nika Gilauri replied: “That is more of a question for Russia to answer . . . We are still ready for talks. Of course we will not close our eyes to a spy network if we find one, and we have found one . . . The only way is through genuine talks.”
Relations between Georgia and Russia have remained tense following a brief war between the two countries in August 2008.
Mr Gilauri described as a “small but still positive signal” the withdrawal of Russian troops from Perevi, a village just outside South Ossetia, last month. “It is one step forward but the full success story will be the end of their occupation of Georgian territories,” he said.
Mr Gilauri noted the importance of support from Europe and the US. “Political pressure from Europe and the US is the main weapon we have for Russia. Successful economic reforms in Georgia and at the same time political pressure from the EU and the US – this is our formula for having a success story in terms of political reintegration of Georgia.”
In a meeting with Taoiseach Brian Cowen yesterday, Mr Gilauri discussed Georgian expectations for Ireland’s chairmanship of the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2012. “For us, conflict resolution with Russia is a priority,” he said. “Ireland can bring its own experience of the peace process that you had in the past decades with Northern Ireland.”
Mr Gilauri rejected concerns over Georgia’s new constitution, which critics say opens the way for President Mikheil Saakashvili to retain power as prime minister after he steps down as president, much as Vladimir Putin did in Russia. “President Saakashvili’s own words were that this constitution was not drawn up to suit any particular person,” Mr Gilauri said, adding that the new constitution was “more European” in nature.
He also dismissed critics who accuse Mr Saakashvili of showing signs of creeping authoritarianism in recent years. “I don’t know what this [criticism] is based on . . . maybe it is based on very pro-Kremlin opposition representatives.”
Mr Gilauri studied economics at the University of Limerick and also worked at the IFSC in Dublin.