Georgia\'s newly-elected President Mikhail Saakashvili urged Russia to open a new chapter in relations with Tbilisi and not fear rivalry from the United States as he began his first official visit to Moscow. \"I have come to offer a hand to Russia and I hope my message will be heard. Georgia is ready for open and constructive cooperation with Russia,\" said Saaksahvili in an address to students of the prestigious Moscow State Institute of International Relations. Ahead of a key meeting on Wednesday with President Vladimir Putin, the Georgian leader repeated demands for Russia to shut down the two remaining military bases it has kept in the former Soviet republic. But he offered in return to allow the Russian military to help patrol border areas where Chechen rebels are suspected of hiding out. Many Georgians accuse Russia of engineering the break-up of their country by supporting separatist rebels in the regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. The presence of two Russian military bases -- a hangover from Soviet rule -- in the Georgian towns of Batumi and Akhalkalaki remains a source of friction. For its part, the Kremlin has accused Georgia of allowing rebel fighters from the separatist Russian republic of Chechnya to launch attacks from inside Georgian territory. A US-educated lawyer, Saakashvili is a fluent English speaker, and many in Russia see the hand of Washington in last November\'s \"rose revolution\" which ousted his predecessor Eduard Shevardnadze and brought Saakashvili to power. In his speech, the Georgian president sought to appease Russian concerns about the close ties between Washington and his government, which has set Tbilisi on a Western course with the aim of joining NATO and the European Union. \"Our country is not a battleground between Russia and the United States,\" he said, adding that Georgia had no plans to offer the US military permanent bases. (AFP)