TBILISI. Feb 6 (Interfax-AVN) - The Georgian leadership welcomes Russia's readiness to take joint measures to bring back refugees from the Pankisi gorge to Chechnya, Kakha Sikharulidze, director of the Georgian Foreign Ministry's information and public relations department, told reporters on Wednesday.
According to him, "there is a need to thoroughly consider organization of the process, taking into account that Georgia is not going to force any of about 8,000 Chechen refugees from the Pankisi gorge."
Sikharulidze said he was hoping that "refugees will be provided convenient accomodation and security guarantees in Chechnya." "The Russian-Georgian cooperation in this issue might have a positive effect on solution of other problems," he added.
In particular, this concerns the work of a joint commission investigating violations of the Georgian air space in November 2001 by unidentified combat helicopters and further bombing of the Georgian territory.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Emergencies Minister Sergei Shoigu on Tuesday to establish contact with the Georgian party within a week to develop a plan on refugees' return to Chechnya.