Moscow was ready for positive response to Tbilisi request for hosting election
MOSCOW. Oct 22 (Interfax) - Georgia did not ask Russia if it would be possible for Georgian citizens residing on Russian territory to cast their votes in the Georgian presidential election, a diplomat told Interfax in Moscow on Tuesday.
"The Georgian side did not make that proposition," he said.
"If the request had been made, it would have been considered positively," he added.
President of the Union of Georgians in Russia Mikheil Khubutia told Interfax on Monday that about 250,000 Georgian citizens residing in Russia were denied the right to elect the president of their home country on October 27.
"The largest Georgian community outside of Georgia lives in Russia. But Georgian citizens who live here cannot vote. The option is not even being discussed. And the only reason why is that they [the Georgian authorities] have ignored our proposal to organize the vote in the community. We made the proposal and said [the vote] could be organized," Khubutia said.
He said the community could offer various technical and organizational solutions, including the vote on the premises of the Swiss Embassy, which represents the interests of Georgia in Russia.
"The number of Georgian citizens in Russia who qualify to vote currently stands at approximately 250,000. Most of them, about 200,000, live in Moscow," he said.
The Georgian Central Elections Commission said earlier that Georgia had over 3.5 million voters. It also said more than 48,000 Georgians might cast their votes outside of Georgian territory.
Georgia will hold the presidential election next Sunday, October 27.