Saakhashvili had been due to arrive in the Russian capital for the July 21-22 meeting of leaders from the Commonwealth of Independent States, a loose union of 11 post-Soviet nations, where he had earlier said he hoped to talk with Putin about complicated bilateral relations.
"Deputy Foreign Minister Merab Antadze had brought specific proposals from Georgia but until the last moment we received no answer about whether the meeting would be held," Gela Bezhuashvili said.
"We received an answer today that there would be no separate meeting but only contacts during the [summit] events," the minister said.
Bezhuashvili added that the sides would have had no opportunity to discuss serious bilateral issues in such circumstances, which is why the Georgian leader had decided against attending the informal CIS summit. The minister said the country hoped for understanding from Russia and other former Soviet republics.
The minister said that Georgia would work to arrange a meeting of the two presidents.
"We will continue to work with Russia to arrange a serious meeting oriented to a result that would lead our bilateral relations out of the current impasse," the minister said.
Relations between the former Soviet stable-mates have been strained in recent months over the presence of Russian peacekeepers in conflict zones with two self-proclaimed republics in Georgia and other issues, including a Russian ban on the import of Georgian mineral water and wine.
