Former Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council Committee on Foreign Affairs, complimented the Georgian authorities for their stance on Ukraine.

Georgia's response to Western anti-Russia sanctions was "balanced," according to Karasin, who added that "this would not go unnoticed" in Russia.

At the Gorchakov Foundation, Karasin made this assertion during a conference with Georgian political scientists.

The Foundation for the Support of Public Diplomacy named after Gorchakov and the Georgian-Russian Public Center named after Primakov arranged the event.

The history of Russian-Georgian ties was studied by Karasin. He said that since the Georgian Dream came to power in 2012 and the introduction of the Abashidze-Karasin bilateral meeting format, Russia has become Georgia's second most significant commercial partner. All limitations on Georgian commodities have been eliminated, according to him, and Georgia's exports to Russia have surged 14-fold.

Karasin also voiced a wish to modernise the framework of the Geneva negotiations, which are now stalled.

"We must eliminate extreme stances from the agenda if we want the Russian-Georgian talks to produce progress on crucial problems. The worst diplomatic technique is to establish the end aim uncompromisingly and quickly. We must take it one step at a time if we are to resolve the conflict," Karasin stated.

"Praise or curtsies from the Russian Federation mean nothing to the Georgian government," Archil Talakvadze, one of the leaders of the ruling Georgian Dream party and deputy speaker of parliament, stated. “We have a well-defined policy — 20 percent of Georgia's land is occupied."

Oleg Nikolenko, spokesman for Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, replied to Grigory Karasin's views about Georgia.

"Grigory Karasin, Chairman of Russia's Federation Council Committee on International Affairs, hails Georgia for refusing to endorse Western sanctions against Russia and warns retaliation. Tbilisi, don't you feel guilty of what Russia has done to you since 2008?" Nikolenko tagged Georgia's Foreign Ministry in a tweet.