The statement was made on Thursday by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova during a briefing in Moscow, News.Az reports, citing Georgian media.
Zakharova said that while economic cooperation between the two countries was developing successfully, official political contacts remained absent. At the same time, she stressed that Russia was seeking to build “pragmatic relations” with Georgia.
According to her, the Georgian authorities are demonstrating a willingness to “follow the path of protecting national interests” despite pressure from the West. She also claimed that Tbilisi was beginning to recognise the “false nature of hopes” for NATO membership and was taking a more “realistic” view of promises made by the European Union.
“We are interested in Georgia being sovereign and independent, and not becoming an instrument in someone else’s hands,” Zakharova said. “In this context, we view with understanding the line taken by the Georgian authorities to limit external interference in the country’s internal affairs, which in previous years took on utterly unimaginable proportions and forms.”
She also welcomed steps taken by Tbilisi to protect what she described as Georgia’s traditional values and social foundations.
“We note the steps taken by Tbilisi to protect traditional values and the foundations of Georgian society from the imposition of neoliberal attitudes aimed at eroding Georgia’s national identity,” she added.
Diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia were severed in 2008 following the August war and Russia’s recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Today, the sides discuss security and humanitarian issues within the framework of the Geneva International Discussions and maintain informal economic communication channels.
Russian officials have previously stated their readiness to restore diplomatic relations with Georgia. Tbilisi, however, has so far rejected this, insisting that the issue of the occupied territories must be resolved as a precondition for resuming official dialogue.
