Russia hopes better relations with Georgia upon opposition win

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday expressed hope that Georgia's relations with Russia would improve upon the winning of the opposition Georgian Dream coalition in the recent parliamentary elections. The coalition, led by Bidzina Ivanishvili, a billionaire tycoon, won 55% of the vote against the governing UNM party led by President Mikheil Saakashvili’s that gained, 40.27 percent on party lists, according to Russian news agency (Ria-Novosti). "It is obvious that the Georgian society voted for changes. We hope that finally, these changes will allow Georgia to start normalizing and improving constructive and respectful relations with its neighbors," Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich said. Meanwhile, Ivanishvili repeatedly stated during the election campaign that the improvement of relations with Russia would be a priority in Georgia’s foreign policy if the opposition wins the majority in parliament. Diplomatic relations between Russia and Georgia have seen intense tensions due to a conflict in 2008 over the breakaway republic of South Ossetia. Georgia then lost one-fifth of its territory, as Russia recognized the independence of South Ossetia and another breakaway republic, Abkhazia.