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Ambassador of Menacing Will
// Moscow and Tbilisi knock concessions out of each other
Having hardly taken over his office, Russian Ambassador in Tbilisi Vyacheslav Kovalenko began onslaught on Georgian authorities yesterday. Right after presenting credentials to Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili, the Russian diplomat in fact accused Tbilisi of unfair play, lack of goodwill, and of instigating the uranium scandal in anti-Russia purposes. Apparently, Moscow believes that by returning the ambassador to Georgia, Russia reached its ceiling of concessions, and now demands reciprocal steps from Tbilisi.
Russian Ambassador in Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko officially came into office yesterday. After the standard procedures, the ambassador came out to journalists and delivered sharp criticism of Tbilisi. “Relations between our countries should be based on mutual respect and fair play. This is what Russia strives for in its relations with Georgia. However, we need reciprocal, and even initiative steps from Georgia. There have been none so far.”
Meanwhile, Moscow does not hurry to make concessions to Georgia. Tbilisi wants Moscow to resume air transportation between the two countries, and to resume giving Russian visas to Georgian citizens.
Georgian authorities also push Russia to resume trade relations and open its market to Georgian wine and mineral water. However, the key issue for Georgia is Moscow’s stand on Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Tbilisi accuses Russia of double standards: acknowledging Georgia’s territorial integrity on the one hand, and covertly supporting separatist movements in those republics on the other hand.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Feb. 01, 2007
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