Georgia Not Reliant on Russia for Gas

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili has said that the country is not reliant on Russia for its gas supply, and is completely independent for energy.

Speaking to EurActiv Poland, President Saakashvili said that the country would not suffer in the case of Russia turning off the gas valve to the country.

"In the case of energy, we are totally independent," he said. "Therefore we have the best situation compared to other former Soviet republics. We produce our own electricity and we even export electricity to Russia. We actually received transit fees for the small amounts of gas imported from Russia as it is transported further to our southern neighbour, Armenia. We import oil and gas from Azerbaijan and if we need more we will get it from Turkmenistan.

"What Russia has achieved through embargoes, blackmail and pressure is that Georgia is the former Soviet republic least dependent on Russia."

Relations between Russia and Georgia have been tense for some time, with Georgia pushing back against Russia's encroachment into the country. In 2008, Russia joined with separatists from South Ossetia and Abkhazia against the Republic of Georgia.