TBILISI, May 11 (RIA Novosti, Marina Kvaratskhelia) - Georgia wants to improve relations with Russia despite considering a withdrawal from the CIS, the country's president said Thursday.
Tensions between the two countries have heightened recently over Georgia's apparent reluctance to remain a member of the Commonwelath of Independent States, a loose union of former Soviet republics, and over what Georgia says is a "trade war" Moscow is waging against it.
"We have guiding lines and examples of countries who have gone through this path of hardships," Saakashvili said at a news conference after talks with his Estonian counterpart Arnold Ruutel. "But we have other guiding lines too, such as improving relations with Russia."
Estonia and the two other Baltic states, Latvia and Lithuania, are the only three of the 15 former Soviet republics not to have joined the CIS.
Mikheil Saakashvili instructed his government May 2 to look at economic aspects of the country's continued membership of the CIS. Georgia's foreign minister said Sunday his country had started consultations with Ukraine on possible withdrawal from the organization.
Russia banned imports of Georgian wines in March and mineral waters at the beginning of May because health authorities said they failed to meet standards.
