TBILISI. Oct 12 (Interfax) - The United States has asked Georgia to refrain from full-scale cooperation with Iran at the present time, Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister David Dondua said at a meeting with members of the Free Democrats parliamentary faction on Friday.
"We are maintaining permanent contacts with our American colleagues, who have asked us to refrain from full-scale cooperation with Iran at this stage, until this country fulfills all of its obligations under the Vienna agreements, which should happen before December this year," Dondua said.
In the context of these requests, an Iranian airline was recently denied flights to Georgia, he said.
Georgia fully shares the U.S.' and the European Union's policy toward Iran but also takes into consideration regional specifics, he said.
"Iran is a significant regional economic partner of Georgia, and therefore we tell the Americans: we need some free space of action in our relations with Iran," Dondua said.
Tbilisi hosted a closed conference on processes ongoing in Iran in September, he said.
"We discussed issues related to these processes and effects that they may have on Georgia and on energy security in the region. The lifting of sanctions from Iran may change the price for gas that we receive from Azerbaijan. This may also affect our transit potential. Iran's isolation will be ended soon, and this will have both positive and not positive effects, and therefore we should be prepared for this," Dondua said.