Georgian and Russian foreign ministers had produced no breakthrough in Wednesday's talks but agreed to continue their dialogue toward settling the disputes over their bilateral ties, the Georgian Foreign Minister Gela Bezhuashvilidi said on Thursday.

Bezhuashvilidi and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met in Moscow on Wednesday in a bid to mend the relationship between the two neighbors that has dipped to a new low since the Caucasus nation's brief detention of Russian officers on spying charges in late September.

"I cannot describe these negotiations as a breakthrough. However, dialogue has been launched and we agreed to continue it," Bezhuashvilidi was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Moscow, infuriated by the arrests, has imposed an economic blockade on Tbilisi by cutting transport and postal links, and has deported Georgians accused of staying in Russia illegally.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement issued late Wednesday that Lavrov and Bezhuashvili "discussed topical issues in Russian-Georgian relations as well as the situation surrounding the settlement of the Georgian-Abkhaz and Georgian-Ossetian conflicts."

"The Russian side explained in detail once again on what conditions Russian-Georgian relations could return to the normal path," the statement said.

Relations between Moscow and Tbilisi have been strained by tensions over Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia and the country's bid to join NATO since its President Mikheil Saakashvili came to power in 2003.

Source: Xinhua