Georgia’s new president, Mikhail Saakashvili, says he’s pleased with the results of his first visit to Russia as the leader of Georgia. The 36-year-old Georgian met President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday to discuss various issues. Mikhail Saakashvili says he thinks a "period of thaw" is beginning in relations between Georgia and Russia after his meeting with President Putin.
| That will be a nice change, probably to the benefit of both countries... |
Both leaders expressed satisfaction with the talks, saying it is time for the two nations to overcome difficulties in their relations. The discussion focused on the issues of terrorism and separatist conflicts, especially in Georgia’s region of Abkhazia, which declared its independence from Georgia after a war in 1993. The leaders agreed to restart stalled peace talks aimed at resolving the issue. Georgia has long accused Russia of supporting not just Abkhazia but a second region, South Ossetia, that has also broken away from Georgia. For its part, Moscow says Georgia gives refuge to separatist rebels from the Russian breakaway region of Chechnya, which shares a mountainous border with Georgia. On this issue, Mr. Saakashvili said the two countries had agreed to conduct joint patrols of the border area. |