Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

TBILISI: On eve of CIS summit, Tbilisi calls for reforms

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • TBILISI: On eve of CIS summit, Tbilisi calls for reforms

    The Messenger, Georgia
    June 2 2005

    On eve of CIS summit, Tbilisi calls for reforms
    Prime Minister says Georgia will participate in minority of meetings
    By Christina Tashkevich


    PM Zurab Noghaideli
    Delegations from 11 countries will convene in Tbilisi on June 3 to
    discuss a variety of issues concerning the Commonwealth of
    Independent States.

    Already on Wednesday, the Prime Minister of Armenia Andranik
    Margarian arrived in Tbilisi ahead of the conference to hold meetings
    with Georgian officials.

    The Executive Secretary of CIS Vladimir Rushailo arrived in Tbilisi
    on Tuesday to monitor the preparations for the meeting. Rushailo met
    with the Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili, the Prime Minister
    Zurab Noghaideli, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome
    Zourabichvili to discuss the agenda for the meeting and the future
    CIS summit in Kazan on August 27.

    According to Rushailo, 26 agreements would be signed at the meeting.
    "These documents are prepared by experts and their signing will
    happen without preliminary discussion," he said.

    However the Georgian PM is questioning the alliance's structure.
    During the government session Wednesday, Noghaideli said, "The CIS is
    in need of reform."

    According to him, Georgia will have "many important bilateral
    meetings" during the summit and he adds Georgia expects important
    results from them. However, the prime minister also added that out of
    34 issues to be discussed at the summit, Georgia will participate in
    a mere eight of them. "This fact points to the necessity of CIS
    reformation," Noghaideli said on Wednesday. "Each country-the CIS
    member must see the possibility to realize its main interests within
    the functions of the organization." He then added that the main
    interest for Georgia is the settlement of conflicts.

    Although conflict settlement in CIS countries is not on the agenda at
    the meeting, Rushailo does not exclude that this issue will be
    discussed.

    In the meantime, the Russian news agency Itar Tass reports the
    Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Salome Zourabichvili does not
    exclude the possibility that the presidents of Russia and Georgia
    will sign a framework agreement, which will outline the two country's
    relations, in Kazan, Russia, on August 27 at the CIS summit.

    "The work on the frame agreement continues. We think that this
    document will open new possibilities in bilateral relations,"
    Zourabichvili said.

    However she added before the agreement is signed both sides should
    see progress in existing problems, like the withdrawal of Russian
    bases.

    Zourabichvili also said that Georgia expects Vladimir Putin to visit
    Tbilisi after the agreement is signed.
Working...
X