Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said on Thursday Moscow and Tbilisi will improve ties as soon as Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili leaves his post.
`As soon as Georgia gets a new leader we will have every opportunity to restore ties,` he said at a meeting with representatives of business, scientific and public circles in the Stanford University. Medvedev said that the two neighbours currently had `dramatically poor relations.`
`And this is not our fault, because we think that Russia protected its citizens and interests. Regrettably, it led to sad consequences, but I wish our relations with Georgia are back to normal,` he said. `Furthermore, I`m absolutely sure that this would happen. The two neighbours just cannot afford to carry on endless polemics and squabbles. We lived together for centuries, and we always had very good relations,` Medvedev said.
He said that he saw no chance to improve relations with Georgia under the current leadership in the ex-Soviet state.
The issue of Georgia`s occupied territories will be discussed at the meeting with the U.S. president Barack Obama today. The two presidents will also discuss the sanctions against Iran and preparation for the agreement on child adoption.
Medvedev will leave for Canada from the United States to participate in the G20 summit in Toronto.