There is no hatred of Russians in Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, but instead there is hatred of the Kremlin. Moscow State University International Relations professor and political scientist Alexey Malashenko spoke to reporters. He was in Georgia, participating in the South Caucasus “Role of the Media in Building Confidence in the Region” media forum, where prominent media and journalism figures were present, as well as reporters and bloggers from Georgia, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia.
“There is such a thing as official speech and conversational speech. In Russia, many people speak of hatred of Russians. I have been in Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Georgia. There is no hatred of Russians in any of those countries, but instead there is hatred of the Kremlin,” Malashenko said.
Speaking of possible negotiations between Russia and Georgia, the political scientist stated that communication is necessary regardless of past issues. “Sometimes it doesn’t work out, but we need to communicate. There is such thing as difficult circumstances and it’s possible that the situation will stay the same for a while. However, the most difficult thing is communicating despite those circumstances. Political scientists need to deal with the rest. Watch Russian media. One form of politics is carried out but another form is broadcasted, but here we can speak about different topics,” the political scientist said.