Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his Georgian counterpart Mikheil Saakashvili met on Friday ahead of an informal summit of leaders of the post-Soviet CIS states near St. Petersburg, saying they wanted to tackle controversial issues that have plagued bilateral relations in recent years.
"An opportunity has now appeared for us to look at what needs to be done and what issues have to be tackled," the source said.
Tensions between the former Soviet republics have been strained since the Western-leaning Saakashvili came to power in the Caucasus country in early 2004.
The long-running row over Moscow's alleged support for Georgia's breakaway regions, along with Tbilisi's plans to join NATO, have been major factors behind the ongoing dispute. In the latest development, Georgia accused Russia of shooting down an unmanned reconnaissance plane over Abkhazia in April. Moscow denies any involvement in the incident.
Saakashvili said on Friday the "current situation was unnatural and of no benefit to any state."
It was Medvedev's first meeting with the Georgian leader since he took office in early May replacing Vladimir Putin, under who relations between the countries plunged to an all-time low.
Georgia's ambassador to Moscow Erosi Kitsmarishvili said on Saturday that the next meeting between the two leaders was expected to take place in Moscow in the near future.
