"Today, Russia is our biggest neighbor," he said in an interview broadcast on Friday. "It has enormous resources. The art of politics and diplomacy consists of finding a common language with Russia despite what happened. If I were president, I would maintain a diplomatic relationship with them."
Georgia and Russia fought a five-day war over breakaway South Ossetia that began when Georgian forces attacked the breakaway republic on August 8. Russia later recognized the rebel republics as independent states, and Georgia responded by cutting diplomatic ties.
The man who was forced out as Georgia's leader by current President Mikheil Saakashvili in the Rose Revolution of 2003 said however that Russia had set a "dangerous precedent" with its recognition of the two regions.
"If Abkhazia, being a tiny nation with very small territory can be an independent state, then why can't Chechnya, Bashkiria, Ingushetia, Tatarstan and Daghestan be independent as well? Russia has set a very dangerous precedent for itself," Shevardnadze said.
The former leader also commented that the first request by Georgia to join NATO was made when he led the South Caucasus state.
"The first requests to become a member of NATO were made during my presidency. There is one difference. In my time, we were able to have a very good relationship with the United States, they were helping us financially, materially and morally. At the same time, we had a friendly relationship with Russia," he said.
At a summit in April, NATO member states decided to put off a decision on whether to grant membership action plans to Georgia and another ex-Soviet republic, Ukraine, until December.
