Edward Shevardnadze on cooperation between Russian & Georgian secret services

Georgian President Edward Shevardnadze is convinced that his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Chisinau marks the beginning of a "turning point in Georgian-Russian relations." Talking to journalists upon his arrival from the Moldovan capital, Shevardnadze confirmed that Georgia had assumed "certain commitments" that the Russian side had been "righteously demanding." According to his words, it is "in Georgia's interests too" that it carries out those commitments, which concern border protection and cooperation between the two countries' secret services.

Shevardnadze said the meeting in Chisinau had "created conditions for improvement of Georgian-Russian relations" and their transfer into a business sphere.

He also said the sides would go on working on a new Russian-Georgian framework agreement.

"Sanctions against Georgia will be out of the question if we are honest in our relations with each other," he noted. "If we fail to fulfil our commitments, Georgia will be left without gas, electric power and fuel. Imagine what a hard winter we would have then and what consequences it would have."