Mamuka Pipia, leader of the pro-Kremlin movement “Solidarity for Peace,” considers the selection of the Georgian Prime Minister’s new special representative for relations with Russia to be tantamount to restoring diplomatic ties between Tbilisi and Moscow. In an interview with MIR-info, Pipia commented on the appointment of Giorgi Zurabashvili to the post, which had remained vacant since December of last year:
“I do not personally know Giorgi Zurabashvili. But we have repeatedly stated: it is time for Georgia to begin negotiations with Russia. We must take into account both the threats in our region and global threats, as well as the way the entire world is changing. In our region, to put it mildly, things are turbulent, with threats coming from all sides.
We have called for launching direct talks without Western intermediaries, who all these years have only hindered our rapprochement and the resolution of issues that have persisted between us for 33 years.”
As Pipia noted, Georgia has had special representatives for relations with Russia in the past, “but there is a significant nuance here”:
“Zurabashvili has not merely been appointed as the Prime Minister’s envoy—he concurrently retains his post as First Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia. This enables him to meet at a high level—with Mikhail Galuzin, as well as with Sergey Lavrov.
That is why I attach such importance to this appointment. This is a step up to a new level, virtually the restoration of diplomatic relations. We hope there will now be visits to both Moscow and Tbilisi. It is good that Tbilisi took this step.”
In the interview, the leader of the pro-Kremlin movement claimed that this is what the Georgian people want: “Georgian society welcomed this step very positively.” In his view, the appointment of the new special representative represents genuine progress and an opportunity for rapprochement.
“The Russian side, for its part, is ready. Its official representatives at various levels have repeatedly expressed readiness for meetings at any level and on any subject. Over the past three years, we have heard this more and more frequently. The Georgian side needed to take a step, and now it has been taken. I hope we will soon see the start of direct negotiations.”
At the same time, Pipia emphasized that Georgia and the broader South Caucasus are a sphere of Russian interests. In his view, all the region’s problems stemmed from the fact that “after gaining independence, we failed to take Russian interests into account.” Today, it is necessary to “exercise wisdom and take into account all of Russia’s interests in the region.”
“Russia will not surrender Georgia to anyone. This must also be understood by our neighbors, who may be drafting their strategic plans and harboring territorial claims against Georgia.
We advocate for direct talks—in Moscow, Tbilisi, Sokhumi, and Tskhinvali—to resolve accumulated issues, unite our peoples, and live under one roof, in a single union state,” Mamuka Pipia added.
Earlier, SOVA reported that Pipia had also announced the establishment of the “Unity of Russians and Georgians” foundation in Moscow.