By Helena Bedwell

March 4 (Bloomberg) -- Georgian opposition leader Nino Burjanadze, a former ally of President Mikheil Saakashvili, met with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, 17 months after a war between the two countries.

Burjanadze said Georgia’s relations with Russia had “practically reached a tragic dead-end,” and repairing ties destroyed by the August 2008 war is in the interests of both countries, Interfax reported.

Putin said he’s ready to work with Georgian political leaders who “want to have normal relations with Russia,” the Moscow-based news service reported. Russia has refused to speak with Saakashvili since the conflict. President Dmitry Medvedev on Feb. 17 said that Saakashvili was “persona non grata for Russia.”
Former Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli began the opposition’s effort to cultivate ties with Moscow when he signed a deal to cooperate with Putin’s United Russia party last month. In Tbilisi, Burjanadze’s trip was viewed by some lawmakers as self-serving and disloyal.

“Her behaviour is nothing but a small betrayal of her country,” Giorgi Gabashvili, a member of parliament from Saakashvili’s United National Movement party, told reporters in Tbilisi. “She’s there to find allies for her own political ambitions.”
 
Military Bases
Russia routed Georgia’s army in the war over the separatist Georgian region of South Ossetia, then recognized South Ossetia and another breakaway region, Abkhazia, as independent countries. Russia has military bases in both regions and defends their borders. Georgia maintains that the regions are occupied territories.

Alexander Rondeli, head of the Tbilisi-based Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies, said the opposition should stand with the government as long as Abkhazia and South Ossetia are occupied.
“As long as Russian troops remain on Georgian territory, the opposition must remain united with the government,” Rondeli said. “Only after the Russians withdraw can Georgia resume normal talks.”

Burjanadze became speaker of parliament in 2001 and served until May 2008, along with two stints as Georgia’s interim president. She led Saakashvili’s party after the so-called Rose Revolution that swept him to power in 2003. Since entering the opposition, she has blamed Saakashvili for the war with Russia and called for him to step down.

To contact the reporter on this story: Helena Bedwell in Tbilisi at hbedwell@bloomberg.net
Last Updated: March 4, 2010 10:56 EST

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