But Sergei Lavrov reiterated Moscow's readiness for a diplomatic solution to bilateral relations, which hit tock bottom after police in Tbilisi charged the officers with espionage last week.
"The diplomatic option is always there, and we prefer this approach," he said, but warned against using the language of "blackmail and provocations" with Russia, echoing recent comments made by President Vladimir Putin that no one could use the "language of blackmail with Russia."
Although the Russian servicemen were released on Monday, tensions between Moscow and Tbilisi have remained high, with Russian officials calling the incident a provocation.
"Russia's position on relations with Georgia has been repeatedly made clear to the Georgian leadership," Lavrov said. "Tbilisi knows what should be done to return relations back to normal."
The incident with Russian officers' arrest prompted senior officials in the country to call Georgia's course blatantly "anti-Russian."
The diplomatic rift between Russia and Georgia deepened after Russia moved to cut transportation links to Georgia and stopped issuing visas for Georgian citizens.
Moscow also threatened to suspend money transfer operations between the two countries in a situation when about a fifth of Georgia's 5 million people reportedly work and earn money in Russia, about 300,000 of them illegally, according to the speaker of Russia's lower house of parliament.
In response, Georgia has threatened to block negotiations on Russia's long-desired accession to the World Trade Organization, which are already stumbling over disagreements with the United States.
Lavrov was typically robust in his response, echoing comments made earlier in the week with regard to Tbilisi's line on Russia.
"The Georgian leadership has been pursuing a consistently anti-Russian policy for months and years, creating absolutely artificial problems in our relations, and then arrested Russian officers and immediately released them - but it would be a big mistake to think that this will reduce all the accumulated problems," the minister said.
With the situation spiraling, Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili sought to defuse tension Monday by saying he only wanted Moscow to treat his country in the manner it conducted relations with other former communist-bloc nations.
Saakashvili added that his country would not be easily cowed by its bigger northern neighbor.
The West-leaning Georgian leadership that came to power on the back of 2003 "rose revolution" has accused Russia of seeking to retain Soviet-era domination over the South Caucasus nation.
