Premier Says Georgia Finding Substitutes For Russia

Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli (left) with U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on December 11 (epa) December 14, 2006 -- Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli says his country is successfully moving away from Russia towards the West.

Noghaideli said that, despite Russian economic sanctions and threats to cut off gas supplies this winter, Georgia expects to meet its energy needs through a deal with Azerbaijan and is looking to new markets for its exports.


Noghaideli was speaking on December 13 at a university in the U.S. capital, Washington DC.


(AP)

Moscow And Tbilisi

Moscow And Tbilisi

Russian military hardware being withdrawn from a Russian base in Batumi, Georgia, in August 2005 (TASS)

WHAT COMES NEXT? Although Russia is unlikely to push an aggressive military response to the current tensions with Georgia, it has a number of economic, political, and diplomatic options at its disposal. Already on October 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin summoned his inner circle to weigh Moscow's options... (more)


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MORE: Coverage of the situation in Georgian from RFE/RL's Georgian Service and in Russian from RFE/RL's Russian Service.


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RFE/RL's English-language coverage of Georgia and Russia.