“Russia’s accession to WTO is a global issue decided outside Tbilisi” — Kosachev

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Head of the State Duma International Affairs Committee Konstantin Kosachev commented at a press conference Sep 29 on the perspectives of Russia’s accession to WTO in the context of aggravated Russian-Georgian relations, REGNUM correspondent reported.

“Aggravation of the Russian-Georgian relations has undoubtedly affected Russia’s accession to WTO, since Georgia has voiced its position and recalled its consent to conclude negotiations with Russia,” Kosachev said. “Today, legal analyses of outcomes of such a decision are being defined. I regard this position of Georgia as quite manageable.”

“With all due respect to Georgia’s own approaches, I have a feeling that Russia’s being a WTO member is a global issue decided outside Tbilisi, and will proceed in accord with agreements between Russia and influential members of this organization, to which Georgia does not belong. I am convinced that, if and when the Russian-US talks are concluded, and a principal consent to Russia’s accession to WTO is achieved, Georgian’s position will not take long to conform.”

“I think that the most important thing in such situations is not getting emotional,” Kosachev concluded, commenting on possible further Russia’s steps towards settling the conflict. “The Georgian side now provokes us, expecting that Russia will start ‘slamming the doors’ and make moves that could be later incriminated to her as hegemonic assault against a small independent neighbor. We are not going to indulge our opponents – and I consider the present Georgian leadership, not the Georgian people, to be the opponents.”

“The situation is ugly, demanding Russia’s rigorous but adequate reaction. I think that the issue of using force has to be out of the agenda. We have to insist on immediate release of our officers, providing all available information that was used as a reason of their arrest. We also have to hold our own objective investigation. And if the Georgian side’s claims prove to be fake, which is already obvious enough, we will demand apology from Georgia, and unequivocal qualification of Georgia’s action as unfriendly and hostile towards Russia – from the world community,” Kosachev maintains.

“Today we have to build strategic relations with Georgia as a friendly neighbor state, regardless of the current uneasy situation,” Kosachev emphasized. "We have to remember that the peoples of Georgia and Russia have always treated each other with sincere sympathy, and we must preserve this huge resource. Measures that Russia will take have to be effective in affecting the Georgian political elite, but should not be directed against the Georgian people.