Lavrov: Russia ready to restore ties with Georgia if Tbilisi ‘stops using us’ to preserve western support

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says that if Georgia will not use the Russian factor to maintain the patronage of the west, and is ready to ‘calmly live’ next to its neighbor, ‘Russia is ready to restore ties anytime.’ 

 

He also said that about one and a half year ago Russia was ready to cancel the visa regime for Georgian citizens.

 

 However, the turmoil sparked by the presence of Russian MPs in the Georgian parliament in June 2019 hampered the process. 

 

Russia and Georgia have had their diplomatic relations suspended after the Russia-Georgia 2008 war, while economic and trade relations were restored back in 2013, under the Georgian Dream government. 

 

Russia has not yet restored direct flights with Georgia which it banned following June 2019 in Tbilisi.