Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Moscow is ready to help Georgia, Abkhazia and South Ossetia in the process of normalizing relations if the countries themselves are interested in it, including ensuring non-aggression agreements.

"The current Georgian leadership is simply making an honest assessment of the past. They said that "we want historical reconciliation". And in what form, in what form this reconciliation can take place, is up to the countries themselves: both Abkhazia and South Ossetia. They are neighbors of Georgia, some contacts are inevitable there anyway. If there is interest from all sides to normalize these relations, to ensure non-aggression agreements... we are ready to help if the parties are interested," Lavrov said at a press conference following the high-level week of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly. Earlier, the founder of the country's ruling Georgian Dream party, Bidzina Ivanishvili, said that after the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 26, "the instigators of the war will be condemned" and Georgia will find the strength to apologize to the Ossetians for the 2008 military conflict unleashed by former President Mikheil Saakashvili and his United National Movement party.

Lavrov's remarks follow the UN General Assembly, where Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze addressed the occupation, but did not mention Russia in his closing remarks to the General Assembly. The GD publicly accuses the UNM and former President Mikheil Saakashvili of instigating the August conflict in the run-up to the elections, and threatens to ban the UNM and other opposition parties after the results.

Earlier in the day, the de facto foreign ministry in occupied Tskhinvali responded to Ivanishvili's apology by saying it expected Tbilisi to take "practical measures" in the future. Echoing Lavrov, this included emphasizing the formal commitment not to use force.

Mamuka Khazaradze, the leader of the "Strong Georgia" coalition, said that Sergei Lavrov's statement was a provocation. He added that "Georgian Dream" is the Russian government in Georgia.

"This is an ordinary provocation, which appears especially when there are elections. Such a statement allegedly helps "Georgian Dream" to create euphoria, as if Russia will return or regulate something. We must say directly that Russia is the occupier, Russia has taken not only our territories, but also the lives of our people. Russia today is waging a bloody battle and war against Ukrainians, so until all this - false propaganda - falls apart and people who still believe in some illusions wake up, we will not make any progress here. Therefore, my assessment is exactly the same as it was last year, the year before last, and in the last 33 years, when Russia took 20% of Georgia, and since that day we all say that Russia is the aggressor and the instigator of the war.