State minister for reintegration, Paata Zakareishvili, said diplomatic efforts are under way and he hopes that at least one country will follow the suit of Vanuatu in reversing recognition of Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

“A serious success has been achieved in respect of non-recognition policy and in 2013 one country [Vanuatu] retracted its recognition… And now work is underway and I hope that at least one more country will also make step in this direction [of reversing recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia],” he said without specifying the country in question.

He made the remarks during cabinet confirmation hearing at a joint session of several parliamentary committees on November 19.

Apart of Russia, Georgia’s breakaway regions have been recognized by Nicaragua, Venezuela, Nauru and Tuvalu.

In August 2013 PM was replaced in Tuvalu, the tiny South Pacific island nation; Willy Telavi, who was the PM at the time when Tuvalu recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia in September 2011 and who visited Sokhumi twice, was replaced by Enele Sopoaga, who at the time of being in opposition voiced criticism over former PM Telavi’s decision to recognize two regions without consulting with the parliament.

During the hearing in the parliament Zakareishvili said that under the current government it was possible to “significantly reduce temperature” in respect of the breakaway regions.

“I think more success has been achieved over the past one year than in the past twenty years,” Zakareishvili said. “There are actually no mutual accusations; there is actually no aggressive rhetoric either from the Georgian government or from the Abkhaz and Ossetian societies.”

During the hearing UNM lawmaker Akaki Minashvili slammed Zakareishvili describing him as “a person who voiced Russia’s position in the government.”

“Zakareishvili is not a reintegration minister, he is minister for disintegration,” he said.