Russia, Georgia diplomats discuss prospects for two countries’ bilateral trade

TBILISI, February 8. /TASS/. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and Georgian Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze focused on prospects for trade and economic cooperation between the two countries at a next round of talks held in Prague on Tuesday, the Georgian government said in a statement published on Wednesday. "The sides summed up the results of trade and economic relations between Georgia and Russia in 2016 and viewed prospects for their development in 2017," the statement said. "At the meeting, Abashidze and Karasin pointed out that since the start of the Georgian-Russian dialog in 2013 the goods $850 mln worth have been exported from Georgia to the Russian market." They also noted "progress in the context of air and overland haulage and a considerable increase in the number of Russian tourists." The government pointed out that "at Russia’s request work has been underway to ease visa restrictions for Georgian citizens travelling into Russia." Karasin-Abashidze talks In November 2012, Georgia’s then Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili established a post of "the prime minister’s special envoy for relations with Russia" and appointed Zurab Abashidze, a renowned diplomat and the country’s ambassador to Russia between 2000 and 2004. On December 14, 2012, Abashidze’s first meeting with Karasin, who is the state secretary and a deputy foreign minister, took place in a Geneva suburb, a breakthrough after the cutoff of Russia-Georgia diplomatic ties in 2008. Since 2013, the senior diplomats held three or four meetings a year in the Czech capital of Prague, focusing on cooperation in trade, economy, transport, culture, humanitarian and current issues. Relationship of Georgia and Russia Georgia’s National Statistics Office has said that in 2016 trade with Russia surpassed $881 mln, 11.8% up since 2015, and amounted to 7.4% of Georgian GDP. Last year, Russia was Georgia’s third largest trade partner after Canada and Turkey. At the beginning of February, Georgia’s National Tourism Administration said that over one million Russians visited the country in 2016. History of the conflict On September 2, 2008 Georgia severed diplomatic ties with Russia "over activities of the Russian Federation in Georgia in August 2008 and recognition of (independence) of Abkhazia and the Tskhinval region (the way the Georgian authorities refer to South Ossetia - TASS) by Russia." Nonetheless, the country’s foreign ministry said, "consular relations with Russia will be preserved." Moscow recognized as independent two Georgian breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, following Georgia's attack on South Ossetia that entailed Russia's peacemaking operation in August 2008. Read more