Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Georgia

Georgian President Backs Decision To Skip CIS Meeting

President Saakashvili (file photo) (official site)

17 November 2005 -- Georgian President President Mikheil Saakashvili has backed the decision of the speaker of the Georgian parliament to boycott a CIS parliamentary assembly in St. Petersburg after Russian authorities reportedly denied a member of her delegation an entry visa.

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November 17, 2005

Parliamentary Speaker Nino Burjanadze announced her decision on 16 November, saying the Russian Embassy in Tbilisi had refused to grant Georgian parliamentarian Givi Targamadze a visa to attend the two-day meeting.

On 16 November, Saakashvili said Burjanadze's decision was the "right" one. He was quoted as saying Russia has "harmed" itself by refusing a visa to a lawmaker because of his statements.

Targamadze, the chairman of the parliamentary Defense and Security Committee, had criticized Russian peacekeepers.

The Russian Embassy in Tbilisi said in a statement on 16 November that Targamadze's request for a visa was initially rejected, but the issue was reconsidered and a visa was issued later in the day.

(ITAR-TASS/Georgian TV)

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