Azernews.Az

By Jamila Babayeva

Georgian Prime Minister's Special Representative for relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin will meet in Prague on March 5 to mull settling the Tbilisi-Moscow relations.

Abashidze said the results of the first stage of the dialogue, a visa regime and regular flights will be the main topic of the talks. "We will also discuss issues of trade-economic and cultural relations," he noted.

The next round of the Geneva talks will also discuss preparation of a meeting between the Russian and Georgian presidents, Vladimir Putin and Giorgi Margvelashvili.

Vladimir Putin recently voiced the possibility to meet with his Georgian counterpart. "If he wants, why not?" Putin said.

Giorgi Margvelashvili, in turn, noted that he needs to consult within the country and with foreign colleagues concerning a possible meeting with the Russian leader.

Recently, Georgian Foreign Minister Maia Panjikidze said the Georgian side does not prepare the presidents' meeting.

"There is no preparation, but nothing is excluded. We are ready. If the meeting can be organized and lead to competitive results, we support it," she said speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels.

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.

The first meeting of Georgian and Russian official representatives was held in Geneva on December 14, 2012, the last fifth meeting - in Prague on November 21, 2013.