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Georgia is concerned about consequences of the escalation in Russia-Turkey tensions, said Zurab Abashidze, Special Representative of Georgian Prime Minister for Relations with Russia, according to Interfax.by.

“If Russia and Turkey fail to come to agreement, everyone could suffer,” Abashidze was quoted as saying by the news agency.

He expressed hope that politicians will resolve the situation ‘sensibly’.

“Everyone could suffer considerably. It can result in serious destabilization in the region,” the diplomat said, adding that Georgia has already felt the impact of ‘some elements’ of Russia-Turkey standoff.
“Turkish truck began having problems entering Russia through Larsi checkpoint.  Georgia is a transit country, and if that faction suffers in any way, it will have a negative effect,” Z. Abashidze noted.
He refrained from answering the question about who is responsible for the escalation.

“The situation is dangerous indeed. History shows that world wars are sparked by minor incidents when a shooting breaks out somewhere. The downing of a plane was a serious one, but I think the situation will be deescalated  - objectively, no one will benefit from the conflict’s aggravation. Some elements are already visible. Small signals have been sent from both sides – Moscow and Ankara,” Abashidze said.

He expressed a hope for a meeting of Russian and Turkish representatives.

On Tuesday a Russian Su-24 jet crashed in Syria. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the jet was shot down by an air-to-air missile fired from a Turkish F-16 jet over Syrian territory and crashed in Syria 4 kilometers away from the Turkish border. V. Putin called the jet downing ‘a stab in the back’ by accomplices of terrorists.