Head of Orthodox Church Meets Russian Foreign Minister

Russia is “sincerely interested” in resolving the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflicts, Sergey Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, said during a meeting with Patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church Ilia II on January 20 in Tbilisi.

“Of course, we cannot ignore the problem of the territorial integrity of your country, which should be settled through the normalization of relations between Tbilisi, Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The Abkhazian and South Ossetian peoples should feel that the Georgian leadership [is ready] to see them [the Abkhazians and South Ossetians] within the Georgian state, and is willing to defend their rights. That is what we are talking about with our Georgian colleagues,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov was in Tbilisi on January 20 to attend Mikheil Saakashvili’s presidential inauguration.

“Russia is sincerely interested in the settlement of these conflicts, in securing the legal rights of all parties involved. As a mediator, we will fairly perform this mission. For us any destabilization in this region is extremely dangerous. The stakes are too high here. We will do our best not to allow any provocations or military adventures here,” Lavrov added.

The patriarch told Lavrov: “Separatism is an infectious disease.”

“I would like to see this problem resolved before the end of Vladimir Putin’s presidential term [this March]. We respect him deeply; he makes much of our relations,” Ilia II said.

Lavrov was due to meet President Saakashvili and opposition leaders later on January 20.

SOURCE: