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Tbilisi: Stronger economy may lead to reintegration

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  • Tbilisi: Stronger economy may lead to reintegration

    The Messenger, Georgia
    Dec 3 2004

    Stronger economy may lead to reintegration
    Italian analyst hopes that stronger Georgian economy will facilitate
    peaceful resolution of conflicts
    By Keti Sikharulidze

    Political Advisor to the Italian Center for High Defense (CASD),
    Pietro Ecole Ago, was in Georgia on December 1-2 to study the
    situation in Georgia's frozen conflict zones in preparation for a
    round table seminar on frozen conflicts in the territories of the
    former Soviet Union to be held by CASD's diplomatic committee in Rome
    in January.

    Speaking at a press conference on December 2, Ago stressed the need
    for a peaceful resolution of the conflicts, and his belief that this
    could be brought about by strengthening the Georgian economy.

    This was Ago's fifth visit to Georgia, and his fourth since the Rose
    Revolution, and he stressed the changes he has seen during the past
    year. "There have been lots of changes of course. There have been
    good changes from the economic side, but they must intensify the
    reorganization of the economy and should cooperate with international
    economic organizations in order to strengthen the economy, because
    this will also affect the separatist regions."

    He described those regions as among Georgia's poorest and expressed
    his hope that spreading economic prosperity will help strengthen
    relations with the separatist regions in a peaceful manner.

    Ago stressed that he supports only the peaceful resolution of the
    conflict. "We should push settlement through as soon as possible
    because conflict resolution is very important for the development of
    the region, but from the international point of view, the settlement
    of the conflict must be peaceful."

    Ago noted the role played by Russia in the zones of conflict, and
    said that official Russia has formally always maintained that these
    territories belong to Georgia and admitted the territorial integrity
    of Georgia, and said that a solution must be found which satisfies
    both reintegration and the desires of the local populations of South
    Ossetia and Abkhazia.

    "It is very important for Russia to retain this official position,
    because Russian has Chechnya, which is their territory, and if they
    annex Abkhazia then how could they explain their position on
    Chechnya? We hope that the electoral revolution in Abkhazia will open
    a greater possibility of discussion of this problem," stated Ago.

    While in Georgia, Ago met with Minster for Conflict Resolution Goga
    Khaindrava, Minister of Defense Giorgi Baramidze, and Gocha
    Lortkipanidze from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as
    parliamentarians and representatives of the OSCE.

    Ago visited not only South Ossetia and Abkhazia, but also frozen
    conflict zones in other post-Soviet countries, including neighboring
    Armenia and Azerbaijan. He will present his findings at the CASD
    seminar in January.

    He told The Messenger that the seminar would be attended by embassies
    of several countries, although they would not formally participate in
    it.

    "They will be able to ask questions, but they will not debate the
    questions. Only Italian politicians and journalists will debate the
    questions that will be asked there," Ago stated.

    From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
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