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Saakashvili warns that appeasing Russia is a delusion The Georgian president speaks to Rustavi2 about dangers to Georgia's statehood.

Saakashvili warns that appeasing Russia is a delusion The Georgian president speaks to Rustavi2 about dangers to Georgia's statehood.

8 August 2013

Georgian President Mikheil President Saakashvili on Wednesday gave a lenghty interview to Rustavi 2 TV on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the war with Russia.

The Georgian News portal civil.ge reports that Saakashvili said that he had done everything possible trying to prevent war with Russia five years ago including through offering Moscow significant concessions, among them rejecting NATO aspiration, downscaling cooperation with the U.S. and a plan to carve-up Abkhazia. Saakashvili said that all of his efforts were fruitless as Russia was preparing for the war, which aimed at "complete destruction" of Georgia.

Commenting on Russian PM Dmitry Medvedev's remarks in an interview with Rustavi 2 TV, Saakashvili said it was a clear message that Georgia should reconcile with losing of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, reject NATO integration and become a member of Eurasian Union if it wants to normalize relations with Russia.

"The Georgian nation... now faces a concrete choice - if the Georgian nation wants to say no to significant part of its territory, if the Georgian nation wants to say no to future development - that is saying no to Euro-Atlantic space... if Georgia is ready to say no to [freedom] of choice in internal [affairs], because Eurasian Union means imposing their rules, then of course there are certain possibilities with Russia," he said.

He said that the only right option for Georgia is to continue "dignified, fast-track development without bowing a head" to Russia. "The solution is to run - that implies fast development," he said.

Saakashvili said that if "we continue deluding ourselves" and hoping that trying to appease Russia would yield result, "it will lead us to losing the Georgian statehood."

A full report of President Saakashvili's interview, available on the Georgian News portal civil ge, is available here

source: civil.ge and Rustavi2 Television

 

Related stories on commonspace.eu

Russian leadership makes cautious comments on 5th anniversary of war with Georgia.

Op-ed: Dennis Sammut: A war without winners that copuld have been avoided and that must not be repeated. (published on 8 August 2013)

Interview with Dimitri Medoev, South Ossetia's envoy in Moscow (published on 7 August 2013)

Georgia marks fifth anniversary of war with Russia; Foreign Ministry Statement (published on 7 August 2013)

Never Again! Ten questions about the August 2008 Georgia-Russia War (published on 6 August 2013)

Russia builds an artificial fence in the heart of the Caucasus (published 5 August 2013)

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