Tbilisi: Diplomatic relations between Tbilisi and Moscow can be restored if Russia recognizes Georgia's territorial integrity, Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili said on Tuesday. Papuashvili emphasized that Georgia supports Russia's expressed intention to restore diplomatic ties.

According to Anadolu Agency, Papuashvili stated the conditions for restoring relations between the two nations. He highlighted that these relations can be reinstated if the Russian Federation acknowledges the territorial integrity of Georgia, specifically referring to the breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. He noted that Moscow is well aware of these stipulations.

Earlier Tuesday, Mikhail Kalugin, director of the Fourth Department of Commonwealth of Independent State Countries at the Russian Foreign Ministry, conveyed Moscow's seriousness about normalizing relations with Georgia, as reported by RIA. Kalugin stressed that Georgia should not become a 'bargaining chip' in anti-Russian maneuvers. He acknowledged that Tbilisi has not imposed sanctions on Russia and has also rejected opening a 'second front' against Russia.

Kalugin remarked on the economic successes achieved in recent years despite the lack of diplomatic relations, citing active ties that have yielded significant benefits. Diplomatic relations between Georgia and Russia were severed in 2008 after Moscow recognized the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, regions not widely recognized internationally.