Members of the Russian parliament's upper house are ready to meet with a delegation of their Georgian colleagues, but a relevant request has not been received so far, Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Russian upper house's Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Wednesday
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 10th July, 2019) Members of the Russian parliament's upper house are ready to meet with a delegation of their Georgian colleagues, but a relevant request has not been received so far, Konstantin Kosachev, the chairman of the Russian upper house's Foreign Affairs Committee, said on Wednesday.Earlier in the day, Giorgi Lomia, a member of the Georgian parliament from the Alliance of Patriots opposition faction, told Sputnik that the delegation of opposition lawmakers from Georgia would arrive in Moscow on Sunday to meet with members of the Russian parliament's lower house.
"We have always held meetings in the past, if there is a request, we are ready to hold another meeting," Kosachev said, adding that the upper chamber had not received such a request yet.
Commenting on a recent downturn in bilateral relations, Kosachev said that Russia was interested in developing a healthy dialogue with Georgia.
"We are ready for harmonic relations with Georgia, provided that the Georgian people are ready to restore them," Kosachev said.
The lawmaker added that Moscow was concerned over the recent escalation of tensions in Georgia.
Relations between Moscow and Tbilisi worsened in 2008 after Russia recognized the former Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states and helped to protect them from Georgian troops trying re-establish control. The situation escalated last month, as massive protests broke out in Tbilisi after a Russian lawmaker participating in the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy addressed the national legislature from the speaker's seat, a move that was seen as offensive. Clashes prompted Russia to stop air traffic to Georgia over security concerns.
