Russia doesn't exclude the possibility of lifting visa regime for Georgian citizens, if conditions for this happen, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin told TASS.

"Regarding the prospects of visa regime abolition for Georgian citizens to Russia, we do not exclude the possibility of taking a positive decision, as soon as there are necessary conditions for this," he said.

The diplomat noted that the existence of stable relations meets the interests of the peoples of Russia and Georgia, who are united by centuries-old traditions of friendship, good neighborhood, common history, culture, spiritual values and millions of human lives.

Hundreds of thousands of ethnic Georgians live in our country and successfully realize their potential, the number of Russian citizens in Georgia has recently increased, he added.

The Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia noted that in 2012, Moscow has not hesitated to support Tbilisi's policy of normalizing bilateral relations.

Even now, despite the difficult external situation and absence of diplomatic relations, the Russian-Georgian cooperation is developing. During the first 11 months of the current year the trade turnover has increased by 1.5 times compared to the same period of 2021 and exceeded $2.2 billion. Along with the trade, the indicators in the spheres of tourism and remittances are increasing, he said.

Galuzin recalled that diplomatic relations were severed in 2008 at the initiative of Tbilisi, and expressed regret that Georgia continues to frame the possibility of their restoration by political demands, coming into contradiction with the new realities in the region.