LONDON. Dec 20 (Interfax-AVN) - Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov has said Georgia is not prepared to joint anti- terrorist efforts with Russia in the Caucasus.
"You can hold consultations on fighting terrorism only when the other party is prepared for this," Ivanov said at a press conference in London on Thursday.
"We cannot see any efforts and willingness to regain control over the Pankisi gorge on Georgia's side," the defense minister said, adding that "the Georgian authorities are not really controlling the Pankisi gorge."
"This is an established fact, and what is equally true is that this Georgian region is occupied by terrorists," he said.
It is precisely from the Pankisi gorge that "financial, informational, and other assistance to terrorists and mercenaries fighting in Chechnya is coming," he said.