Georgian envoy to meet Russian Deputy FM in Prague

The Georgian prime minister’s envoy for relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, said on Monday he planned to have a fourth meeting with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in Prague after September 20. “The parties are having consultations to fix the date,” he said. This time, focus would be on outstanding problems in transport, trade and economic and humanitarian relations between the two countries. “Progress is obvious,” he noted. “Substantial success has been achieved in these areas though there are still several problems to address." Abashidze-Karasin talks are the first direct contact between top-ranking officials of the two countries since conflict broke out between Russia and Georgia in 2008. Earlier, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said the meetings between Abashidze and Karasin were playing “a positive role in the process of normalization of relations.”