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Russian lawmakers ready to resume parliamentary cooperation with Georgia — MP

On October 31, Georgia’s Central Election Commission announced preliminary results of the second round of parliamentary polls in 50 out of 73 one-seat constituencies

MOSCOW, October 31. /TASS/. Russian lawmakers are ready to initiate the process of resumption of parliamentary cooperation with Georgia, Leonid Kalashnikov, the chairman of the committee for the affairs of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Eurasian integration and relations with compatriots of the Russian State Duma lower parliament house, told TASS on Monday.

"The committee for the CIS affairs is ready to do its best to promote the resumption of cooperation with Georgia. We will organize committee hearings, we will analyze election results and will offer the Georgian side to resume parliamentary cooperation. So, let us wait for their reply," he said.

Commenting on the results of Georgia’s parliamentary elections, where the Georgian Dream party has won a constitutional majority in the new parliament, Kalashnkikov noted that the "policy towards confrontation with Russia" has failed. "So, former President Mikhail Saakashvili’s and his party’s hopes to get back to power have crumbled to dust," he said.

"However it doesn’t meat automatic resumption of diplomatic relations with Russia. I won’t guess whether Georgian Dream plans to restore relations with Russia to the former - friendly and good-neighborly - level. The obstacle are still in place so far but consultations go on," he said.

"But it is high time to get moving along a two-way path of resuming relations," Kalashnikov said. "In this sense, the election results give a free hand to Georgian Dream to settle this sphere."

On Monday, Georgia’s Central Election Commission announced preliminary results of Sunday’s second round of parliamentary polls in 50 out of 73 one-seat constituencies. Thus, Georgian Dream candidates won in 48 out of these 50 constituencies. So, plus 44 out of 77 seats won on party tickets, Georgian Dream will have 115 seats in the 150-seat Georgian parliament.