Georgia severed diplomatic ties with Russia in late August 2008 after Moscow recognized its former republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as independent states.
Recognition followed a five-day war with Georgia that began when the South Caucasus state attacked South Ossetia in a bid to bring it back under central control.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Swiss counterpart, Micheline Calmy-Rey, exchanged the diplomatic papers authorizing Switzerland to act on Russia's behalf in Georgia at a ceremony in Moscow on December 13.
Switzerland, as a neutral state, has for years represented the interests of a number of countries. It currently represents the interests of Cuba and Iran in the United States, U.S. interests in Cuba, and Iran in Egypt.
