Russia has authorised the first direct flights from the Georgian capital Tbilisi since last year's conflict between the two countries.

自从去年俄罗斯与格鲁吉亚发生冲突以来，俄罗斯近日首次授权了第一班从格鲁吉亚首都第比利斯直飞俄罗斯的航班。

Planes will fly direct from Tbilisi to Moscow and St Petersburg

The move is the latest thaw融雪，解冻 in ties that had been frozen since fighting broke out in August 2008.

But Georgian Airlines said the permit had come too late to organise² flights for the New Year and the start of the Orthodox正统的，惯常的 Christmas public holidays.

Moscow said Tbilisi第比利斯 had taken too long to reply to requests for information.

Russia's Foreign Ministry³ said Georgian Airlines would be able to operate charter flights into Moscow and St Petersburg on 29 and 30 December.

It said it had taken the "humanitarian人道主义的 significance of this issue" into account, particularly the ability of people to visit relatives over the holiday period.

Reuters quoted ministry spokesman Timur Khikmatov as saying they would be the first passenger flights since the war.

Roads opened

But Georgian Airlines said the flights would not resume until 6 January - Christmas Eve in both Russia and Georgia - as the permission had not arrived in time, meaning no flights would cover the peak travel period.

"We will not have the time to organise flights tomorrow and the day after tomorrow," spokeswoman Nino Girgobiani told the AFP news agency.

Moscow dismissed摒弃，开除 the airline's complaint, saying Georgia took five days to reply to a request for relevant有关的，中肯的 technical details of the flights.

"In this situation all the responsibility for failing an important humanitarian⁴ action rests with the Georgian authorities," said a Foreign Ministry statement reported by the Interfax news agency.

Georgia said Moscow had not sent request through the right diplomatic channels.

On Thursday, the countries announced that a key road crossing closed since 2006 was to be reopened.

The Kazbegi-Upper Lars crossing, which officials said was likely to reopen next March, is the only crossing that does not go through the Russian-backed breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Georgian forces were driven out of the two regions in the bitter war last year.

Correspondents say the recent signs of improving relations between Georgia and Russia are significant, but that the hostility敌意 between the two countries remains⁶ strong.