"Georgia is not against Russia's WTO membership. Quite the contrary, we believe that it would help Russia forge a civilized relationship with neighboring states, including Georgia - a relationship based on generally accepted rules," David Bakradze said.
However, he said "there are several serious issues which unless resolved would make it difficult to agree to Russia's admission to the WTO."
The Georgian president said in late January that Tbilisi could lift its veto on Russia's admission to the WTO if the sides entered negotiations.
Mikheil Saakashvili said he welcomed Russia's statement that it had no plans to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Georgia insists before it lifts its veto that Russia must implement commitments undertaken as part of a protocol signed by Georgia and Russia in May 2004. Under the deal, Russia was to start complying with legal customs procedure on the Georgian-Russian border before joining the global trade body.
Georgia says Russia is illegally using of two checkpoints - Gantiadi-Adler (Abkhazia) and Roki-Nizhny Zaramag (South Ossetia).
South Ossetia and Abkhazia declared their independence from Georgia following bloody conflicts in the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse. Georgia's current pro-Western leadership has been seeking to recover its influence in the separatist regions and secure international support on the issue.
