Russia Seeks Deal With Georgia Over Disputed Region

Russia is open to negotiations for the withdrawal of troops from occupied Georgia, according to statements from a top Russian diplomat.

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia was “ready to help” with the reconciliation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, separatist regions of Georgia that have had a strong Russian military presence since 2008.

Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly in New York, on Sunday, Lavrov said: “The current Georgian leadership is simply honestly assessing the past. They said that ‘we want historical reconciliation.’

“And in what form, in what shape this reconciliation can take place—this is for the countries themselves to decide: both Abkhazia and South Ossetia. They are neighbors with Georgia, some contacts are inevitable there anyway.

“If there is interest from all sides in normalizing these relations, ensuring non-aggression agreements… we will be ready to help if the parties are interested.”

Newsweek contacted the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Georgia for comment on the situation.

The government of Georgia considers Abkhazia and South Ossetia to be occupied territory, and the majority of Western governments, including the U.S., considers the regions as part of Georgia.

However, Russia—along with Venezuela, Syria and several other nations—considers the areas to be individual countries.

The areas have remained under Russian military control since 2008, when Kremlin-backed troops invaded South Ossetia and advanced towards the capital Tbilisi, as part of a five-day war.

Kakha Kaladze, Secretary General of the ruling Georgian Dream party and mayor of Georgia’s capital city Tbilisi, said Lavrov’s comments were well-received.

He added: “The fact that Russia welcomes reconciliation and will facilitate it is certainly positive. However, I would say that after these statements, it would be good to take effective steps.”

The Georgian Dream party, which is seeking re-election at the end of October, has attempted to create closer ties with Russia in recent years, including resisting the call to impose trade sanctions on the nation due to the invasion of Ukraine.

Georgian Dream party founder Bidzina Ivanishvili in September promised that the Georgian authorities would “find the strength” to apologize for the 2008 war with South Ossetia, a move which caused protesters and relatives of those who died in the war to gather outside the Parliament building in Tbilisi.

The removal of Russian troops from Georgia would free resources for the continuing conflict in Ukraine, which has placed increasing strain on Russian military infrastructure.

Last Friday, it was reported that Ukrainian forces had successfully eliminated several Russian operatives using jet skis to navigate the Dnieper River.

Ukrainian FPV drone operators reportedly took down several soldiers, in footage widely circulated on social media.

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