The Spokesperson for the President of Georgia Manana Manjgaladze held a briefing regarding the opening of Larsi border crossing point. As the Spokesperson pointed out the President of Georgia evaluated positively the opening of Larsi border crossing point. She said that this will be the only legal check point on our territory and this way the Russian side (not directly, but still) will recognize the fact that the embargo policy, which started in 2005 didn't work. Manana Manjgaladze stressed her attention on the fact that this way Russia opens its border. She said that this fact indicates that Russia recognizes the Georgian border on this territory.

"The President of Georgia believes that it is better to have legal relations even on this one part, to have a controlled state border under the Georgian legislation", she noted.

She said that concerning security, it is more threatening to have a closed border protected by armed people and block posts than an open and legal border.

"The lifting gate on the road was providing less security for the region than an open and protected border with state control tools and all existing legal means".

The Spokesperson touched upon the information spread by media means, the information that local population as well as experts were speaking about.

"This concerns those pretensions that Vladikavkaz, if more precisely Russia has towards Stepantsminda and Kobi-Gudauri. The Kremlin has such pretensions towards Georgia and its capital as well. All these statements are a sort of psychological war, which aim to influence the population, investors and the development of the country," the Spokesperson stated.

Manana Manjgaladze spoke about the restoration of Russian-Georgian relations and pointed out:

"The negotiations were being held through the Swiss Embassy; these are not direct negotiations and doesn't mean that the relations are being improved. It is hard to speak about relations when the Russian government doesn't recognize democratically elected government of Georgia, Georgian state borders and sovereignty. It tries to legalize 500 thousand IDP's existence and ethnic cleansing".

As for the restoration and warming of the relations the President of Georgia considers that this will be possible only in the case if Russia de-occupies the occupied territories of Georgia.

Press Office
of the President of Georgia