Georgia, Tbilisi, Dec. 21st / Trend, N. Kirtzkhalia /
It is important for Georgia to restore economic and trade relations with Russia, State Minister for Integration into European and Euro-Atlantic Structures Alexi Petriashvili said.
He was commenting on a statement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
However, he said that Georgia will not compromise its territorial integrity for the sake of trade relations with Russia.
"Of course, it is important to restore economic and trade relations with Russia, but first of all, our strategic objective is to restore our territorial integrity," Petriashvili said.
He said that the restoration of trade relations is of great importance to the development of agriculture in Georgia and that ordinary Russian citizens and political leadership are waiting for Georgian products to arrive on the Russian market.
"The Russian President himself hinted that citizens expect Georgian wine to appear in the Russian market," the Minister of State said.
He said that the restoration of trade relations with Russia will help normalize relations first between the people, and then between governments.
"Trade relations will not be 'put on one scale' with such important issues as Georgian territorial integrity, and the country's integration into NATO and the EU," Alexi Petriashvili said.
"It is obvious that Russia and Georgia are not ready to discuss these fundamental issues today," he said.
"But dialogue on these topics that will normalize relations, must be welcomed," Petriashvili said.