Russian Foreign Ministry affirms need for continuing dialogue with Georgia
MOSCOW. Oct 30 (Interfax) - The dialogue with Georgia, formerly carried out between Special Representative of the Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Abashidze and then-Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, will be continued, and its format will be announced in the near future, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said.
"We understand that this dialogue should continue. I think you will learn soon enough in which particular format it will be carried out," Rudenko told the press on the sidelines of a conference of compatriots living abroad entitled Compatriots and Continuity of Generations.
As reported earlier, Karasin, who used to represent Russia in the Prague format of the dialogue with Georgia, resigned as state secretary and deputy foreign minister for a seat on the Federation Council. Yevgeny Ivanov succeeded Karasin as state secretary, and Rudenko was appointed as deputy foreign minister.
The Prague format is the only direct dialogue between Georgian and Russian officials. It mostly addresses trade, economic, and humanitarian affairs. The first meeting of the format took place in a suburb of Geneva in December 2012, and all the other meetings have been held in Prague. The latest meeting occurred on June 13, 2019.