Mikhail Saakashvili keeps incessantly making statements in which fabrications and vituperation alternate with rare mentions of his readiness for the solution of all the issues with Moscow by means of a “civilized dialogue.”

In this connection it is appropriate to specify that on August 10, when the French and Finnish ministers of foreign affairs arrived in Tbilisi, acting on behalf of the EU and OSCE, Saakashvili signed together with them a pledge to refrain from hostile rhetoric. That this pledge is not being fulfilled does not surprise us, but it does suggest an idea of what is the worth of the signature of the Georgian leader who is daily volleying forth insults against the Russian Federation.

As to the interspersions in the flow of anti-Russian rhetoric concerning his readiness for “civilized dialogue,” Moscow has already said repeatedly that there are no obstacles for negotiations with Georgia. For reasons absolutely understandable to any sensible person, however, we do not regard Saakashvili himself as a partner in the talks. Contacts are being maintained between the foreign ministers, between their deputies and between the defense agencies. In the last few days concrete talks were underway on the exchange of war prisoners. The exchange agreed to for August 18 was at the last minute scuttled by the Georgian side, which had unexpectedly put forward political conditions. This kind of attitude of Tbilisi towards an entirely humanitarian situation demonstrates the real worth of the statements of Saakashvili about the need to “start thinking seriously about forms of further mutual relations to avoid alienating each other conclusively.”