Georgian Prime Minister rules out diplomatic ties with Russia amid occupation

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze on Wednesday said restoring diplomatic relations with Russia was impossible while Moscow continued to occupy Georgian territories.

In his interview with Rustavi 2 TV channel, Kobakhidze noted that the restoration of diplomatic ties with Russia “could only become a logical step” if Georgia’s territorial integrity was fully restored.

“We have our principles. The protection of national interests must be based on clear principles. Putting everything else aside, from a legal standpoint, it is impossible for us to talk about restoring diplomatic relations with Russia while the occupation persists”, the PM said.

“Currently, around 20 percent of our territory is occupied by the Russian Federation. In this context, reestablishing diplomatic relations would mean, in some form, accepting the reality that our historical regions are no longer recognised as part of our country by that state”, he continued.

Kobakhidze further emphasised that the ongoing occupation of approximately 20 percent of Georgia's territory by Russia was a fundamental obstacle to any normalisation of relations, stressing that “if our territorial integrity is restored, restoring diplomatic relations would be a logical step”.

“However, given the current reality - where our territorial integrity is violated and 20 percent of Georgia’s land remains occupied - we simply cannot talk about restoring diplomatic relations. For us, the issue of territorial integrity is a red line”, the Prime Minister concluded.