Georgian, Russian presidents meet

MOSCOW -- Russia and Georgia have agreed to renew discussions on Abkhazia, a Georgian separatist region bordering Russia, Georgia's president said Wednesday after talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin.\nAbkhazia broke away from Georgia in a war in the 1990s and has been de-facto independent since then, under pro-Russian leadership. Ethnic Georgians fled the fighting en masse, and the region's status is among the biggest problems confronting Georgia, which is wracked by poverty and corruption.\nPresident Mikhail Saakashvili told a news conference the two countries will set up working groups to discuss refugee return, renewal of rail connections that run through Abkhazia and other issues of the conflict.\n"I think this will be an energetic year" in working toward a resolution of the Abkhazia tensions, Saakashvili said.\nSergei Prikhodko, a Putin aide, said Russia regards Saakashvili as a leader with whom Russia can have "objective conversations," and Saakashvili said he and Putin were able "to find a common language."\nSaakashvili, on a two-day visit to improve often-tense relations between his small, struggling country and its giant neighbor, told Putin Georgia respects Russia's interests.\nThe Kremlin has often bristled at Georgia's overtures to the West, including its talk of joining NATO, and many Russian politicians denounced the arrival of U.S. troops in 2002 to conduct anti-terrorist training for the Georgian military.\n"Russia is a great power. We are a small country, but one that has interests, pride and history connected with great Russia," Saakashvili said at the opening of his meeting with Putin.\nThe Russian president took note of previous Saakashvili statements about improving relations with Russia, calling them "a positive signal in the direction of restoring relations."\nGeorgia has frequently accused Russia of pressuring Tbilisi by supporting Abkhazia and separatist South Ossetia, controlling much of the country's energy supplies and maintaining two military bases on its territory.\nSaakashvili indicated little progress was made on the basic question, but said both sides agreed: "This issue must not be the main one in our relations."\nMoscow, in turn, has said Georgia is a transit route for foreign mercenaries and extremist funds earmarked for rebels fighting Russian forces in Chechnya, which borders Georgia.\nSaakashvili said Georgia is dedicated to fighting terrorism and that he and Russian officials had discussed setting up "joint structures" to increase border security.