ST. PETERSBURG, June 26. /TASS/. Moscow welcomes the initiative of Georgian politicians to restore ties and is ready to follow the path of restoring diplomatic relations, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told a briefing on the sidelines of the 12th St. Petersburg International Legal Forum.

"We support any initiatives that support <...> Russian-Georgian normalization. In this context, we welcome the initiative you’ve mentioned. We are ready to follow this path," the diplomat said, answering a question about the initiative of Georgia's Solidarity for Peace party' to restore diplomatic relations.

Earlier, representatives of the Solidarity for Peace party appealed to Putin with a request to completely cancel the visa regime for Georgian citizens, as well as to hold an amnesty for those who were forced to violate the rules of stay in Russia before the visa regime was relaxed.

In addition, Georgian politicians asked to ease employment rules for citizens of the republic in the Russian Federation.

On September 2, 2008, Georgia broke off diplomatic relations with Russia after Moscow recognized the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. With the severance of diplomatic relations, the Georgian Foreign Ministry announced that it would maintain consular relations with Russia. Since March 2009, a section of Russian Federation’s interests has been operating at the Swiss Embassy in Tbilisi. Respectively, a section representing Georgian interests has been formed in Moscow, also at the Swiss Embassy.