When speaking to MGIMO (Moscow State Institute of International Affairs) students and professors, Mr Saakashvili said that relations between the two countries are absolutely not acceptable for from being ideal. "At my inauguration I declared that Georgia is ready to establish friendly relations with Russia," he said. "And I have come to prove it."
According to Mr Saakashvili, he does not expect much from his first working visit to Russia, as "settling the many problems in bilateral relations needs further close work."
Mr Saakashvili said that recently Russian-Georgian relations have been impulsive and too emotional, with no sensible settlements. "The first and foremost now is to cut down on emotions and all of the propaganda in the media," Mr Saakashvili stressed.
In his opinion, Russia and Georgia have to tackle a number of questions, including economic cooperation, Georgian autonomies and the visa regime.
"We are interested in a strong Russia as our partner that will be able to use other means of influence-not military force," Mr Saakashvili stressed.
