Georgia: A Gesture to Russia

Georgia will no longer require visas for Russian visitors as it tries to attract more foreign investment, President Mikheil Saakashvili said Tuesday in a rare gesture of good will between the two countries, former Soviet republics that fought a brief war in 2008. Russiahas refused to have any contact with Mr. Saakashvili since its military crushed an assault by Georgian forces on the Russian-backed rebel region of South Ossetia. Mr. Saakashvili said Tbilisi now wanted to abolish visas to send a signal to Russian business executives and tourists that Georgia would welcome them. “We want to give peace a chance,” he said in Parliament during an annual address to the nation.