MOSCOW, July 9 (Xinhua) -- Georgia said the ongoing visit of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice shows Washington's support for Georgia as a democratic state, the RIA Novosti news agency reported Wednesday.

    "The visit of the U.S. Secretary of State undoubtedly demonstrates the U.S. support for Georgia as a democratic state and the support for Georgia's peaceful intentions, which may bring positive results," Georgian Foreign Minister Eka Tkeshelashvili was quoted as saying.

    Rice arrived in Tbilisi earlier in the day and was scheduled to meet with Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili on Thursday for closed-door talks.

    Rice's arrival came amid rising tensions between the post Soviet Caucasus country and its breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which have recently seen several bombings and disputes over peacekeepers.

    Relations between Russia and Georgia were strained because of Georgia's bid to join NATO and Russia's allegedly support to Georgia's breakaway regions.

    The Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that Georgia's actions with regard to its breakaway regions pose a real threat to peace and stability in the South Caucasus.

    The Georgian regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia broke from central rule in the 1990s following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. But their self-proclaimed independence is not internationally recognized.