Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said
Tuesday he would meet with his Russian counterpart Dmitry Medvedev next week to
discuss the tense situation over Russia's support for Georgia's breakaway region of Abkhazia.
"We want to relax the situation that has escalated lately, and, I hope,
that with Russia's new president we will find a constructive dialogue,"
Saakashvili was quoted by news agency Interfax as saying Tuesday.
Relations between Tbilisi and Moscow have long been strained over Moscow's
support for the separatist Georgian territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
but they reached a crisis point Saakashvili said was close to war on April 20
after Georgia accused Russia of shooting down one of its spy planes over
Abkhazia.
A United Nations report Monday cited witnesses, radar shots and video footage
from the drone as proof of Georgia's claims, but Russia says Abkhaz rebels were
responsible for the shooting, a claim corroborated by the Abkhaz leadership.
Medvedev made overtures to Saakashvili on Monday, congratulating him on Georgia's Independence Day.
"We hope for a constructive cooperation between our states in the sake of
developing neighbourly relations and strengthening stability and security in
the Caucasus region," Medvedev said.
The two leaders plan to meet on the sideline of an Economic Forum in St Petersburg on June 6-7, dpa reported.
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