Russia and Georgia are natural partners, - said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.

According to him, "unprecedented external pressure" and "ultimatums" on Tbilisi to refuse cooperation with Moscow did not produce the result that the West hoped for.

“I emphasize that, given the close intertwining of historical fate and geography, Russia and Georgia are natural partners for each other. This is also evidenced by the fact that unprecedented external pressure and ultimatums on Tbilisi to refuse cooperation with our country have not yielded the results that the West had hoped for,” Galuzin said.

According to him, relations between Russia and Georgia are “based on centuries-old historical and cultural ties.”

"Despite the well-known political disagreements, we are trying to build relations with Georgia based on mutual respect. Indeed, in recent years there has been significant progress in the field of trade cooperation and tourism. Every fourth tourist in Georgia is from Russia, and our market is the main one for the main Georgian export goods. We welcome this, because we consider it our task to create conditions for the expansion of humanitarian and business ties, in other words, what is important for the citizens of our countries," Galuzin noted.