Azernews.Az

By Nazrin Gadimova

Georgia will resolve all disputes with Russia within the framework of international formats, Giorgi Margvelashvili, who won the presidential election in Georgia by landslide according to election results, told journalists on October 28.

"We have said earlier that Georgia will build equal and positive relationships with Russia, and there is a progress in this direction," he said.

Margvelashvili cited as an example the talks of Georgia's Special Representative for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, which has already led to the return of Georgian products to the Russian market.

"However, we have a problem that must be solved in the international formats, as we are told by our foreign partners, and we are ready to negotiate, for example, in the Geneva format and to solve the accumulated problems there," he said naming Russia's actions in the occupied territories unacceptable.

Margvelashvili backed Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili, who said that Russia moved the so-called border in the separatist regions 15 meters, which is inadmissible.

"We were able to bring an end to such actions, and will continue to raise these issues at the highest level," Margvelashvili said.

The presidential election held in Georgia on October 27 ended with an outright victory of Giorgi Margvelashvili, who was nominated by the ruling Georgian Dream - Democratic Georgia party, according to the Central Election Commission (CEC) tallies. Margvelashvili is leading with over 62.16 percent of the vote.

Georgia and Russia, its giant northern neighbor, have maintained no diplomatic relations since a brief war in 2008. Tbilisi broke off relations with Moscow in August 2008 when Moscow crushed a Georgian assault to reassert control over two rebel regions -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- and later recognized the regions. Georgia announced the two unrecognized republics as occupied territories in September 2008.

Russian border guards began creating barbwire along the administrative border shortly after the conflict. The Georgian side charges that these actions violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia, as well as the principles of international law and the ceasefire agreement between Georgia and Russia dated August 12, 2008.