VZCZCXRO2257
PP RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHNP RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSK RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHSI #0451 0651437
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 061437Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY TBILISI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1126
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS TBILISI 000451 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL RS GG
SUBJECT: GEORGIA: ESTABLISHMENT OF RUSSIAN INTERESTS 
SECTION IN TBILISI 
 
¶1. (SBU)  On March 5, Georgia and Russia established 
interests sections in the Swiss embassies in Moscow and 
Tbilisi, respectively.  In Tbilisi, Russian diplomats will 
continue to operate in the Russian Embassy building they 
occupied before the war; however, the building will be under 
a Swiss flag.  The interests sections, established on March 4 
with an exchange of notes between Russian and Swiss diplomats 
in Moscow and Georgian and Swiss diplomats in Tbilisi, 
confirmed the opening of interests sections in both capital 
cities.  Swiss Deputy Chief of Mission Dr. Anita Schluchter 
Roth told poloff that Swiss representatives completed the 
necessary preparations to implement the agreement following 
official visits by Federal Councilor Micheline Calmy-Rey, 
head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs to Moscow 
in mid-December and to Tbilisi in mid-January. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  According to Swiss Ambassador Amberg, the Russian 
Interests Section will be headed by the Russian Embassy's 
former DCM Andrei Smaga, who he noted has remained in Tbilisi 
since the conflict.  Amberg cautioned that Swiss diplomats 
would have no involvement with activities ongoing within the 
Russian Interests Section.  In Tbilisi, the Russian Interests 
Section will issue visas to travel to Russia only to 
Georgians with close family members living in Russia, 
Georgians studying in Russia and for several other limited 
categories. 
TEFFT