(RIA Novosti) - Russia and Georgia could soon launch talks on the restoration of air links between the two ex-Soviet neighbors, suspended by Moscow almost four month ago amid a furious diplomatic row, a Georgian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Thursday.
The brief arrest of four Russian Army officers on spying charges in Georgia last September aggravated the already strained relations between the former Soviet allies.
Russia responded by suspending travel and mail links with the small Caucasus nation, clamped down on Georgians working in the country and recalled the ambassador and embassy staff with their families, reports Trend.
The spokesman said Tbilisi has received a go-ahead message from Moscow through diplomatic channels following Georgia's two proposals to start the talks, which are set for February 5-6, according to the preliminary schedule.
The statement came two days after the Russian ambassador to Georgia, who was recalled in September 2006, returned to Tbilisi to resume his post.
Ironically, Vyacheslav Kovalenko, who arrived in the Armenian capital by plane, was obliged to complete the final leg of his trip by land from Yerevan because of the flight embargo.