Georgia, Tbilisi, Nov.21 / Trend, N. Kirtskhalia /
Russia will surely become a member of the EU and NATO, former Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze said in an interview with the Asaval-Dasavali weekly.
"This process started when I was the USSR Foreign Minister and met with U.S. President Ronald Reagan," he said stressing that if initially Mr Reagan called the Soviet Union an 'evil empire', that at the end of his presidency 'he completely changed his position'.
Mr Shevardnadze said the WTO membership is the first step towards Russia's integration into Europe and NATO.
"The world was interested in supporting us and our efforts were successful as Georgia got the maximum it could get out of the process," he stressed.
Mr Shevardnadze believes that the Georgian authorities were able to build up their position and get the maximum benefit during negotiations that achieved control with the help of the Swiss mediators over goods passing through its borders on the Abkhaz and South Ossetian sections.