Georgia: Ex-Parliamentary Speaker Meets with Putin in Moscow

Former Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze, a leader of Georgia's 2004 Rose Revolution, held talks in Moscow with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, an avowed enemy of Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili and his government.

Putin told Burjanadze on March 4 that he relies on those people in Georgia who want normal relations with Russia to return Georgian-Russian relations to their pre-2008-war level, the Interfax news agency reported. The statement appeared to sidestep the fact that bilateral tension was high even before the 2008 conflict.

Burjanadze, who leads the opposition party Democratic Movement-United Georgia, responded that Georgian-Russian ties reached a tragic dead end in 2008, while affirming that it is in the interests of both countries to improve relations. Both Putin and Burjanadze glossed over the difference of opinion over the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, disputed territories claimed by Georgia that Russia has recognized as independent.

In Moscow, Burjanadze also met with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and was due to meet March 5 with Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov.