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Russian military hardware being withdrawn from a Russian base in Batumi, Georgia, in August 2005 (TASS)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