Grigory Karasin’s statement

The Former Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia Grigori Karasin said that a Russian delegation will attend the Council of Europe ministerial in Tbilisi in May 2020, which Georgia will be hosting as the Council of Europe chair. 

He added that as of now he does not know the composition of the Russian delegation: “Russia will take part in a meeting, who will go there - it"s more of a theological question”.

Karasin called the possible complications associated with the meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe “an artificial problem”.

Lasha Daraselia - It is too early to say who will participate from Russia in this meeting 

The First Deputy Foreign Minister of Georgia Lasha Darsalia commented on the statement of Grigori Karasin. As he said, Georgia is the chair country of the Council of Europe and will act according to the relevant statute.

“Georgia, as you know, is the chair country of the Council of Europe. Therefore, we act and will act in accordance with the status of the Council of Europe and its statutes. In this regard, we are having constant consultations with both our partners and the Council of Europe itself and its Secretariat. As for who will participate in the meeting from Russia, it is too early to talk about it”, - said Lasha