We have not had any contact with [Vladimir] Putin since we came to power. Such a statement made today the Prime Minister of Georgia at the Qatar Economic Forum.

“Our motivation is to become a member of NATO. It depends on our strategic readiness and patience. We understand that it is not just our desire to join NATO, a consensus must be reached among all member states, all member states of the Alliance, to grant Georgia NATO membership. We are not naive, we understand that Georgia has territorial problems, we must solve this issue first and then become a member of NATO, this is the opinion of our European and NATO member states.

As for the question, what do I think of [Vladimir] Putin, we had a full-scale war in 2008. In the 1990s, when Georgia regained its independence, in our regions, Abkhazia and “South Ossetia”, we have encountered aggression three times in the last 30 years.

Our Government’s policy is to restore territorial integrity and sovereignty on the basis of peaceful negotiations. We have not had any contacts since we came to power. Since 2012, we have not had any political consultations. Only economic, trade relations exist. So this is the reality in which we live”, - said Irakli Garibashvili.