bidzina-ivanishvili-pace

Prime Minister of Georgia, Bidzina Ivanishvili, is preparing for an important speech in Strasbourg tomorrow. (Official photo.)

TBILISI, DFWatch–The Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) plans to bring up the issue of changing Georgia’s foreign policy towards Russia during the ongoing session in Strasbourg.

Alexey K. Pushkov, director of the Institute of Contemporary International Studies (ICIS) at the Russian Foreign Ministry, told this to journalists on Sunday.

“We plan to ask [Georgia’s Prime Minister Bidzina] Ivanishvili questions whether he plans to change foreign policy towards Russia, because we still see the same development as in Saakashvili’s government,“ he said, adding that Russia wants to know what changes will be made that ‘give reason to think that there is an opportunity to improve relations with Georgia’.

Davit Zalkaliani, Georgia’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, said the choice of the country’s foreign policy is the same as it is for its people.

„Mr Pushkov will have the opportunity to ask questions,“ he said, adding that the Georgian people made its choice in a referendum.

April 23, Ivanishvili will address the PACE session, and afterwards answer questions from delegates.