Ghela Bezhuashvili, Georgia's National Security Council Secretary, has arrived in Moscow on order of President Mikhail Saakashvili to meet his Russian counterpart Igor Ivanov.
"Before we resume negotiations on the Big Treaty, military alliance and all other matters, we have to settle all problems stored over the years lest they hamper our partnership in the future," said Mr. Ivanov as he was opening the talks in the Kremlin.
"Russian-Georgian relations are making dynamic progress-suffice it to mention several personal meetings of the two Presidents, regular telephone conferences, and discussions of all current problems.
"Friendship is the only possible prospect of bilateral relations, a prospect to satisfy both nations' hopes," he stressed.
Igor Ivanov went over to developments in South Ossetia, which have come to an edge. "The problem is to be settled at the negotiation table, and through debates. That is the way to prevent further Caucasian conflicts and make the Caucasus a land of affluence and good-neighborly relations.
"The Joint Control Commission is gathering in session tomorrow. It will give every party an opportunity to regard the issue over which we are clashing, to cancel those issues and get the matter into a negotiation channel.
"The conflict cannot be settled by the force of arms, which will lead to a bloody tragedy-something we are to prevent."
Igor Ivanov called his partner in the talks to "regularly check our positions, determine common goals, and settle problems inherited from the past".
He is sure all problems can be settled in Russian-Georgian negotiations.
Georgian-Russian relations are not to be "hostage to the conflict", pointed out Ghela Bezhuashvili, who described present-day contacts at the various level of the two countries' leadership as "hotline". He, too, emphatically said that forceful conflict settlement would be to the detriment of either country's interests.
"Direct contacts as this have helped us to rule out direct armed confrontation, and get over to a dialogue.
"The treaty we are drafting is of essential importance, and I have come to Moscow with a package of my own proposals," added the visitor.
A Russian-Georgian presidential summit has been scheduled for next autumn, he announced during the talks: "With their conferences, our Presidents are setting the tune to bilateral relations. They will meet again, autumn."
