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Berlin/Tbilisi: Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said he will not leave Georgia because he fears Russia would prevent him from returning home, in an interview with a German newspaper published on Wednesday.
"If I leave Georgia then the Russians will close our airspace and prevent me from returning home," Saakashvili was quoted as saying by the German daily Bild. For this reason the Georgian leader said he would not attend an emergency European Union summit in Brussels on Monday called to discuss the crisis in the Caucasus, according to the newspaper.
He said that he wanted from the summit a "clear commitment from the EU that it will continue to stand by Georgia. And the same applies for our membership of Nato".
Speaking after Russia stoked Western anger by recognising on Tuesday the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Saakashvili was quoted as saying that "Russia is altering Europe's borders unilaterally and with violence."
"If Europe allows it to happen once then Russia will try it again in the future."
Saakashvili said that he had spoken to Gordon Brown only once since the outbreak of war in the Caucasus, although other world leaders had called him frequently.
Since Russian troops invaded his country, the Georgian leader has spoken to George W. Bush, the US president, nine times, President Nicolas Sarkozy of France 20 times and Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, on "several" occasions.
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The British prime minister's image as a brooding, insular figure unable to adapt to the fast pace of international affairs has been reinforced by his response to the crisis.
The Georgian president was, however, generous in his praise of David Cameron, the Conservative leader, who visited Tbilisi last weekend. "David Cameron has been very good," Saakashvili said during a briefing for foreign journalists. "He really understands things and appreciates values."
Saakashvili drew back from outright criticism of the prime minister's low level of involvement. Instead, he said he was grateful that Brown had sent David Miliband, the foreign secretary, to Georgia. He said he was encouraged by reports that Britain was beginning to restrict visa applications from Russian officials.
He called for Western countries to review their participation in the 2014 Winter Olympic Games, which will be held in Sochi, a Russian resort close to Abkhazia, which along with South Ossetia is Georgian territory now controlled by Russia.
When Saakashvili reminded Vladimir Putin that Georgia had a close relationship with Nato, his reaction was allegedly one of amusement. "He said to me: 'Do you really think that Nato is going to come and fight us in the Caucasus?'" Saakashvili said.
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