Many are suspicious of Russia now as it keeps up unbroken contacts at the top of Georgian autonomies - the self-proclaimed Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and Adzharia. Russia is alleged to gain on Georgia's problems and be plotting to disintegrate it. "That's all wrong," the MP stressed in a Novosti interview.
True, Russia enjoys a tremendous influence on Georgian domestic developments - but then, it is working for Georgia's territorial integrity, and is in close contact with Tbilisi, autonomies' leaders and partners abroad alike. This line of action promotes Russian interests as Russia's own problems in the Caucasus arose about ten years ago, and persist to this day.
Russia failed to duly involve its neighboring countries, Georgia among them, in tackling those problems. That is largely why its predicaments survive, as Mr. Kosachev sees the matter. The Russian part of the Caucasus is in for even greater instability now that Georgia is falling apart into feudal principalities - and that is more than Russia can afford.
Those dire prospects dominate the agenda as Russian diplomats are facing Georgian autonomies' leaders at the negotiating table. Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Minister of Foreign Affairs, said so to a news conference today, added the parliamentarian.
