MOSCOW, October 8. /TASS/. Georgia’s authorities have failed to appreciate a meeting between the country’s Foreign Minister David Zalkaliani and his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov that took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in late September, leader of the opposition Alliance of Patriots of Georgia Georgy Lomia said at a meeting with Chairman of the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Leonid Kalashnikov on Tuesday.

According to Lomia, Georgia-Russia relations have come to a point where direct dialogue could help ease tensions. "This is clear to Russia and the West, and Georgia is also beginning to realize it," he noted. "A meeting between the foreign ministers of our countries, which took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, is a proof of that," Lomia added.

"Our party welcomes this step towards improving relations but we should say that in this situation, the Georgian government has failed to fully understand the opportunities that the meeting could provide," he pointed out. "Unfortunately, many politicians in Georgian continue to manipulate public opinion," he explained.

Lomia also emphasized the need for regular meetings between the two countries’ lawmakers.

A meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia and Georgia took place on Thursday for the first time since 2008, when Tbilisi had severed diplomatic ties with Moscow in the wake of Russia’s recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Since 2012, the two countries have been maintaining dialogue only through meetings between Special Representative of the Georgian Prime Minister for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin.

Karasin recently stepped down and was succeeded by Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko.