Russia and Georgia will renew discussions later this month on re-opening the Upper Larsi border pass, Russian news sources reported on December 9. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin did not name an exact date.
Russian President Dmitri Medvedev on December 9 added that he sees no problem in resuming diplomatic ties, as well as air and land communications with Georgia, the Interfax news agency reported.
In 2006, Russia closed the Upper Larsi checkpoint, the only remaining legal border crossing between Georgia and Russia; an additional two crossings are located in the breakaway territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, respectively.
Neighboring Armenia, which has acted as middleman between Moscow and Tbilisi on the border talks, has been pushing Tbilisi to reopen Upper Larsi to facilitate Yerevan's access to the Russian market. The Georgian government has indicated that it is prepared to consider the idea, but some Georgian MPs worry that the border pass -- previously used in Tsarist and Red Army pushes south -- could provide an entrance for a fresh Russian invasion.
Tbilisi and Moscow have not been on speaking terms since their 2008 war; Switzerland now handles diplomatic relations between the two states.
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