Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said Russia and Georgia can resolve their problems without intermediaries, Russian media reported Friday.

"I believe that we can solve all problems, overcome difficulties we are facing and build up relations for a long period in the future," Medvedev was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying at a meeting with his Georgian counterpart Mikhail Saakashvili in St. Petersburg.

Saakashvili, for his part, said there were a lot of "unresolved issues in bilateral relations, but none were unsolvable."

He also said Russia and Georgia have been very close to each other in history, and the two nations are also linked in culture and demography.

Tensions between the two countries have been straned since Saakashvili came to power in Georgia in early 2004.

The long-running row over Moscow's alleged support for Georgia's breakaway regions, along with Tbilisi's plans to join NATO, have been major factors behind the ongoing dispute.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2008)