Moscow sees progress in Georgia's attitude to ties with Russia

Russia feels the new Georgian authorities started to think about possible ways of normalizing relations with Moscow, a high-ranking Russian diplomat said Friday. "Judging from some signals, the thoughts about normalization of relations, about what Tbilisi must do for it, have already started," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister and Secretary of State Grigory Karasin told local media. Meanwhile, Moscow would not hurry to say Russia was ready for contacts with the new Georgian authorities, Karasin said. "I would call this premature. We should understand first, what is the real intention of our Georgian partners? We will determine our position after that," the diplomat said. Karasin said the new Georgian authorities seemed not to be ready so far to restore diplomatic ties with Moscow. Tbilisi put closing Russian embassies in two Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as a precondition for restoring diplomatic ties with Moscow. "However, that position could be changed too. Let's wait and see," Karasin said, adding that Moscow would follow the developments of Georgian "political thought." Moscow and Tbilisi have been at odds over the status of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Moscow recognized their independence in August 2008 following a brief armed conflict with Georgia. In response, Georgia severed diplomatic relations with Russia. On Thursday, the 21st round of the mediated Geneva Discussions between Russia and Georgia concluded without any substantial results. The Geneva Discussions were launched after an agreement between former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev in September 2008, following the armed conflict between Russia and Georgia. Last week, the opposition Georgian Dream coalition won the country's parliamentary elections and the outgoing Georgian government resigned Thursday.