"We agreed to continue the interaction in the formation of a three-phase roadmap, which would spur on negotiations and the settlement process," the Itar-Tass news agency quoted Lavrov as saying after talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
In his opinion, the plan incorporates all the aspects of the Georgian-Abkhaz problem, including the complicated issue of the return of refugees and the socioeconomic rehabilitation of the conflict zone.
Steinmeier, rounding off a two-day visit to Georgia, Abkhazia, and Russia, admitted that Tbilisi and Sukhumi still have major differences. "We must not stop trying to achieve settlement," he added.
Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke away from Georgia in the 1990sfollowing the collapse of the former Soviet Union. But their self-proclaimed independence is not internationally recognized.
The two breakaway regions have long been a source of tension between Russia and Georgia. Bilateral relations were further strained recently over Tbilisi's bid to join NATO and Moscow's alleged support for two separatist territories.
