MOSCOW, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Georgian Foreign Ministry on Thursday denied the Russian foreign minister's claim that Georgia was pursuing an anti-Russian policy.

    During a trip to Poland, the top Russian diplomat, Sergei Lavrov, said earlier in the day that Georgian authorities must give up their "anti-Russian policy" in order to solve all the problems between the two countries.

    In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said the Georgian president has repeatedly stated that Georgia wants good-neighborly and partnership relations with Russia, the Interfax news agency reported.

    "However, the tensions between the two countries were created by Russia's stance on issues related to the settlement of conflicts on Georgia's territory," the statement said.

    Relations between Russia and Georgia have been strained by tensions over Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

    The arrest last week of four Russian officers in Georgia on spying charges has added to the already tense relationship. Georgia released the men later, but Moscow slapped sweeping economic sanctions on Tbilisi, cutting transport and postal links with the Caucasus nation. Enditem