In his message, Mr Medvedev said, in particular:
“I read your letter with great attention. At a time when relations between the fraternal peoples of Russia and Georgia have been going through severe trials, we need to restore historical justice and take an unbiased look at the events of our common past.
Regrettably, over these last years, the centuries-old history of Russian-Georgian relations and the traditions we have developed as good friends and neighbours have become increasingly subject to distortion or even quite simply have been rewritten to suit individual politicians’ opportunist aspirations. It is a question of professional honour for scholars to prevent this kind of falsification and preserve the rich legacy we have inherited from our forebears.
In this context, I think your initiative is timely and relevant. It is an important resource that will help to build up mutual respect between the Russian and Georgian peoples. I am sure that your work will receive the support of Russian scholars who, like yourselves, seek an objective assessment of our countries’ history, many pages of which we can feel deservedly proud of.”