Members of an informal Russia-Georgia inter-parliamentary dialogue group hold talks in Moscow, Russia on July 15, 2019. (Photo by Russian State Duma)
MOSCOW, July 15 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Georgian lawmakers said their countries are ready to stop current hostilities and resolve their crisis in bilateral relations, Russia's State Duma, or lower house of parliament, said Monday.
"Russia is ready to move in every way towards a phased lifting of restrictions ... Russia will, of course, do this with full understanding and confidence that the Georgian authorities are ready for this," said Leonid Kalashnikov, chairman of the State Duma's committee on the Commonwealth of Independent States' affairs, according to a news release.
He made the remarks following a meeting of an informal Russia-Georgia inter-parliamentary dialogue group hosted by the State Duma.
In turn, the Georgian side said they will urge their authorities to do everything possible to settle the current crisis in relations between the two countries, according to Russia's State Duma.
Tensions between Russia and Geogia have escalated sharply since last month after thousands of Georgian people gathered in front of the parliament building in downtown Tbilisi in protest against a Russian lawmaker's visit.
Later, a host at a Georgian TV channel cursed the Russian leadership with vulgar language on a TV show, which was strongly condemned by the Georgian authorities.
"These are all provocations aimed at aggravating relations between Georgia and Russia. Destructive forces in Georgia once again tried to do everything to negate all the efforts that we have been building up over the past three years," George Lomia, a member of parliament from the opposition Alliance of Patriots of Georgia party, said at the meeting.
Late last month, the Russian government announced that passenger flights by Russian and Georgian airlines between the two countries would be suspended from July 8.
