(RIA Novosti) - Russia's foreign minister Friday slammed as groundless Georgia's accusations that Russia was deliberately hampering the resolution of "frozen conflicts" in the south Caucasus nation.
Bilateral relations between the countries have deteriorated in recent months, with a key sticking point being the role of Russian peacekeepers in two conflict zones within Georgia - the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, reports Trend.
Sergei Lavrov said Tbilisi's accusations had caused main political problems in bilateral relations, adding that Georgia was ignoring several agreements that had
been reached.
"Therefore, when we hear appeals to change the format of the peacekeeping operation against the backdrop of broken agreements and Tbilisi's refusal to sign a statement on peaceful conflict resolution, we cannot regard this as a sincere desire to resolve these conflicts," Lavrov said.
He also praised the professionalism of Russian peacekeepers in the conflict zone with the self-proclaimed republic of South Ossetia.
"Only the restraint of peacekeepers and their commanders helps avoid bloodshed," he said.
Another key issue in the current tensions is a Russian ban on imports of Georgian wine and mineral water, ostensibly over health and safety concerns, although Georgia has denounced the bans as politically motivated.