MOSCOW. Sept 6 (Interfax) - The dialogue between Russia and Georgia that has been resumed is yielding its first results, but Georgia is still not ready to restore diplomatic relations with Russia, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin said.
"The dialogue began in December 2012 in Geneva, where I first met with [the Georgian president's envoy on relations with Russia] Zurab Abashidze. After that, there were meetings in Prague in March and June. Now, a little more than six months later, we can see specific results of this dialogue," he said in an interview with the Internet publication Russia Direct.
Georgian wine and mineral water have now returned to the Russian market, the supply of agricultural products is expected to resume, the checkpoint Verkhny Lare on the Russian-Georgian border is working 24 hours a day, the relevant agencies have begun consultations on the resumption of regular transport communication, and there has been intensification of humanitarian, cultural, sports, and religious relations and business contacts.
Russia has also increased the number of Russian visas issued to citizens of Georgia, Karasin said.
"We are considering the possibilities of adopting a flexible approach to the issuance of visas for private visits, including for maintaining family and relative ties," he said.
"At the same time, we can't speak about a full visa waiver now that we don't have diplomatic relations. Our dialogue is informal, it doesn't have a firm schedule. We consider it useful and we intend to continue it," he said.
Responding to a question about whether progress has been made in the restoration of the diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia, Karasin said that "the Georgian administration is not ready to restore diplomatic relations with us, which they severed in August 2008, after we recognized Abkhazia and South Ossetia."