Georgian minister flies to Moscow for crisis talks

Gela Bezhuashvili is due to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov and the secretary of Russia's Security Council Igor Ivanov, who said the visit was "a good signal".

But a senior Kremlin official told RIA Novosti news agency President Vladimir Putin had declined to meet the Georgian minister.

Russia has severed transport links with Georgia in a row fueled by smoldering tensions over Tbilisi's drive to join NATO and the European Union and disputes about two separatist regions of Georgia which are supported by Moscow.

Underlining the tension, one of the separatist regions, South Ossetia, said it had killed four mercenaries sent by Tbilisi to stir up trouble before a November 12 referendum. Tbilisi rejected the accusation as "misinformation."

Bezhuashvili is due to hold meetings in Moscow on Wednesday and Thursday on the sidelines of a regional conference. He flew to Russia via neighbouring Azerbaijan because Moscow has severed direct air links.

"We welcome any dialogue, so the visit (by Bezhuashvili) and his meetings in Moscow are a good signal," Igor Ivanov told a news conference.

"But you are not going to solve the problems with meetings alone. The most important thing is what Mr Bezhaushvili brings with him. ... If it (Tbilisi) changes its policies then the atmosphere in our relations will get better." Reuters