Azernews.Az

By Jamila Babayeva

The Georgian government voiced a readiness for a direct meeting with the Russian leadership.

Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili made the remark, adding that it is early to talk about the time, place and the format of the meeting.

"On the one hand, Georgia establishes constructive relations with Russia and on the other hand, it is preparing for signing the association agreement with the European Union," he told journalists on June 4.

Garibashvili underscored that an improvement is observed in the Georgian-Russian relations and it is evident in the trade sphere.

"We have already begun to trade with Russia and this process is expanding. Our citizens profit from this," he said.

Garibashvili went on to add that Georgia will continue to make every effort to improve its relations with Russia, stressing that these relations were deteriorated under the previous government of the country.

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.