Nino Burjanadze  … I have summoned this press-conference due to an unprecedented fact, unprecedented event and I deem it necessary to express our deep indignation with regard to the fact, which had barred our delegation from participation in the CIS summit of Chairs of the Parliaments. What happened is that Mr. Givi Targamadze, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Security, who is the member of the delegation, turned out to be unacceptable person for the Russian side. Therefore,  he was denied the Russian visa. We consider this step as an very serious insult directed against Georgia and the Parliament of Georgia. We see no possibility to work in this regime and participate in the work of Summit.

I would like to emphasize that even if  Russia had any claims against Mr. Givi Targamadze, Russia, as the one of the member States of CIS and host country of the Summit, had no right whatsoever to prevent the Georgian delegation from participation in the work of international organization, if the CIS remains to be an international organization. I call upon the Speakers of Parliaments of CIS member States, and will send the relevant letters to them, to condemn the decision which did not allow the Georgian Parliamentary delegation to participate in the work of CIS Parliamentary Assembly. All of you know quite well, that this organization does not represent any special priority for us and on several occasions the very issue of Georgian membership in this organization had been raised. The major argument put forward by many of my colleagues and myself in favor our Georgia's membership in this organization has been an assumption that we should use the CIS as a platform to voice our position before our colleagues. It was my initiative to present in Saint-Petersburg the initiative of the President of Georgia on the peaceful settlement of conflict in the so-called South Ossetia and call upon the CIS member states, including Russia, to actively participate in the implementation of this peaceful plan. It should be noted, that in my letter sent, as early as in September, to our colleagues in the Russian Duma and the Federation Council to get involved within the CIS peace process in the implementation of peace-plan in the so-called South Ossetian conflict. However, we have not received any answer at all.

It was a manifestation of sheer cynicism that just right now, while entering this room, and the plane had already taken off, I was briefed by the  Head of Department for International Relations, that the Russian side was not against Mr. Targamadze's visit to Russia. I think it is a manifestation of cynicism. Everybody knew, that we were actually deprived of any possibility to participate in the Summit and the Russian side just had tried to explain or justify the fact that may have no justification in international practice. I do not want to mention any country specifically, but would like to draw your attention to the fact, that for example UN headquarters, which are located on the territory of the U.S.A. would always guarantee participation in UN sessions of any person, however unacceptable this person maybe for the United States. By the way, the last Summit of Heads of State in UN was a very telling proof of the aforementioned, when the USA issued visas even for representatives of those countries, with whom it does not have diplomatic relations and actually are in the state of war with them. To be sure, we will demand very strongly explanation for the aforementioned behavior. If the Russian Federation has the so-called black-list of Georgian politicians, we will resort to adequate measures and most likely many individual will be denied Georgian visa. However, it seems that majority of the Russian political establishment will not be much troubled by such a development, since their major destinations are Abkhazia and Samachablo, where they do not need Georgian entry visa. However, highly esteemed members of our society, please be assured that this situation will not last for a long period of time. We wanted to secure active participation of the Russian Federation in the peace process, but if it is not to be, we still be able to peacefully settle the conflict with the assistant of our strategic partners and friends. It was extremely important for us to once again to call upon the Russian Federation to play a constructive role, to fulfill its functions in the conflict zones. We were denied this opportunity this time and to be sure, in response we will voice drastic and adequate protest measures.

I would like to ask my colleagues, Mr. Targamadze and Mr. Gabashvili to say couple of words in this regard.