CoE secretary general offers Moscow, Tbilisi to use new atmosphere in bilateral relations
MOSCOW. May 21 (Interfax) - The Council of Europe stands for the territorial integrity of Georgia but hopes for an improvement in Russia-Georgia relations, Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland said at a joint meeting of the State Duma international affairs and constitutional legislation committees on Tuesday.
He said the Council of Europe proceeded from the principle of Georgian territorial integrity and was seeking ways to interact with the peoples of Abkhazia and South Ossetia - an issue discussed during his Russian visit.
Jagland said they were trying to play a constructive role in the solution of that problem.
He noted that meetings with Georgian ministers manifested a new position and it was quite possible to use it and offer a Russian response to the new atmosphere in Tbilisi.