Russia hopeful for better relations with Georgia

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Russian Foreign Ministry expressed hope on Wednesday, Oct 3, that the opposition victory in recent parliamentary elections in Georgia would help Tbilisi improve relations with its neighbors, RIA Novosti reported.

With 97.03 percent of the vote counted, billionaire tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili’s Georgian Dream is on a fast track to win a solid majority in Georgia's 150-seat parliament.

The Georgian Dream won 55 percent of the vote and President Mikheil Saakashvili’s UNM party garnered 40.27 percent on party lists, while in the 73 single-mandate races, Ivanishvili’s coalition won 38 seats against 35 for Saakashvili’s party.

"It is obvious that the Georgian society voted for changes. We hope that finally, these changes will allow Georgia to start normalizing and improving constructive and respectful relations with its neighbors," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said.