Georgia hurts itself by saying no to diplomatic relations with Russia — Abkhazian official

Crisis in Russian-Georgian relationsGeorgia hurts itself by saying no to diplomatic relations with Russia — Abkhazian official Sergey Shamba stressed that Abkhazia would only be happy if relations between Russia and Georgia improvedSUKHUM, August 12. /TASS/. Georgia only hurts itself by not keeping diplomatic relations with Russia, Sergey Shamba, aide to Abkhazian president for international cooperation and former foreign minister, told TASS commenting on the statements of Georgian Prime Minister Irakly Kobakhidze that his country does not intend to restore full-fledged diplomatic relations with Russia until Moscow recognizes independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. "This [the restoration of diplomatic relations] is a matter of dialogue between Russia and Georgia, but I think the Georgian side is hurt more by this. As for Abkhazia, statements like this from the Georgian leadership, from people on social media, only alienate the Abkhaz people [from normalizing relations with Georgia]. Instead of building relationships that would provide some kind of opportunity for cooperation, cultural exchange, and good-neighborly relations in the future, we are constantly seeing steps that only worsen our relationship," the presidential aide said. He highlighted that relations between Abkhazia and Russia are actively developing. "We have strong economic, political and in every sense strong relationships that give us guarantees of economic development and military security," the politician said. Shamba noted that Abkhazia would only be happy if relations between Russia and Georgia improved and "a situation would be established in the region where everyone cooperates and lives in peace and friendship. Unfortunately, not everyone is ready for this yet." According to Shamba, in any case, there are many countries that are quietly developing and establishing normal relations after the facts of aggression and military invasion have been admitted. This is why, according to the politician, Georgia will need to get used to what he called the reality on the ground in the region. 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