"Much has been done in Russo-Georgian relations. A thaw has actually begun after my meeting with Vladimir Putin in February 2004," Saakashvili said.
The Georgian president noted that the Russian and Georgian sides have reached agreement on many questions, such as joint border patrolling. He also spoke of the productivity of Russian-Georgian cooperation on Adzharia.
In the opinion of Saakashvili, Russian-Georgian dialogue is getting a second lease on life.
In the next few days, Tbilisi will unilaterally introduce a simplified system of crossing the Russian-Georgian border.
"Georgia has unilaterally decided to introduce a simplified system to remove obstacles for entry into Georgia. The decision will become effective in a few days," the Georgian president said.
"Hopefully, Russia will take a similar step," he said.
Such talks have long been held but, unfortunately, the matter could not be settled in the bilateral format, he noted. (Moscow was forced to toughen the visa system with Georgia two years ago in the heat of the Russian-Georgian dispute about the stay of Chechen militants in Georgia's Pankisi gorge on the border's Chechen section.)
Georgia hopes for setting up a joint antiterrorist center with Russia.
"We would like to have a joint Russian-Georgian center with the antiterrorist mandate," Saakashvili said.
"I think the structure of the antiterrorist center is to be set as a result of talks," the Georgian president said. It will be a "serious strength" in the struggle against terrorism, he added.
"The location of the center will be agreed upon," he said.
Saakashvili voiced confidence that "no special problems" will emerge in creating it.
He confirmed that the issue of the Russian military bases in Georgia has been settled and he was not going to speculate on this theme.
"I'm not going to speculate on this theme. I've come here to talk, not to bargain. Bargaining over such questions (the Russian military bases in Georgia) is out of place. Everything has been settled," Saakashvili said. (Two Russian military bases - one in Batumi and the other in Akhalkalaki on the border with Armenia - remain in the territory of Georgia. Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that they will be withdrawn at least in 2010 because the corresponding infrastructure has first to be unfolded in the place of their expected location in Russia.)
Georgia hopes for the presence of Russian business there. "We hope Russian business will come to Georgia," Saakashvili said.
He noted that Georgia has recently introduced a new Tax Code, providing for the lowest tax rates in the region.
"In a sense, we took the Russian Tax Code as the basis," Saakashvili said.
The leadership of Georgia is going to act correspondingly if the authorities of unrecognized Abkhazia make ethnic cleansings in the Gali district.
Tbilisi has information on "such cleansings in preparation" in the Gali district, he said.
"I'd like to warn that nobody may do harm to the Abkhaz, Georgian or Russian population in the district. It is not 1991 and we will not allow to rock the boat in the region," Saakashvili stressed.
Georgia is ready for talks with South Ossetia and give it guarantees like North Ossetia's as part of the Russian Federation.
"We are ready to conduct negotiations with South Ossetia and give it guarantees like those of North Ossetia within the Russian Federation. Georgia will use force only in case of a threat to its territorial integrity. But we will cut short armed provocation attempts," he made a point.
"We have a large arsenal of political methods and do not have to use force. If we were unwilling to talk, we would not have talked and there would not have been flexible decisions," the Georgian president noted.
"We have made the revolution of roses in Georgia and the revolution of roses in Adzharia. I don't want any more revolutions," Saakashvili said. Georgia is ready to make serious concessions in fixing a status for the territory. "Status talks are a process requiring reciprocal concessions. We are ready for serious compromises, as in the case of Adzharia."
Saakashvili proposed all Ossetians who left Georgia in 1991-1992 as a result of the Georgian-Ossetian bloodshed come back. "We are ready in written form to ask all Ossetians who left Georgia in 1991-1992 to come back to their homes. We have their addresses," Saakashvili said.
The Georgian president noted the need to give, if necessary, land to Ossetians in case their houses had been destroyed.
Saakashvili rejected South Ossetia's proposal to exchange officers of the Georgian State Security Ministry earlier detained in South Ossetia for "the militants who had crossed the Georgian border with arms in hand." "We are not going to bargain over it," Saakashvili said. "As long as bandit actions continue, there's nothing to talk over," the Georgian president stressed.
According to him, the main concept for the further development of Georgia is the build-up of a small and attractive state.
"The main specificity of today, which is the distinguishing feature of the Georgian leadership, is that we are not in a hurry. We are developing dynamically," Saakashvili said.
According to him, Georgia plans to reach a large growth of the gross domestic product this year.
"We must build a small attractive country, which Georgia used to be before," the Georgian president noted.
