GEORGIA PUSHING FOR SPEEDIEST POSSIBLE PULLOUT OF RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES

RIA Novosti
Feb 18 2005

TBILISI, February 18 (RIA Novosti) – The timeframe for the withdrawal
of the Russian military bases from Georgia is likely to be set within
the next couple of months, Georgian Parliament Speaker Nino Burjanadze
announced Friday.

“Putting a timeframe on the pullout of the Russian bases from Georgian
territory is a key issue to us,” Ms Burjanadze pointed out as she
met with Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, in the capital of
Tbilisi today. Russia has two military bases in Georgia, one in Batumi
(in the Ajarian autonomy) and the other at Akhalkalaki, on the border
with Armenia.

As she said, Georgia seeks a settlement in its relations with Russia.
“Georgia is mindful of Russia’s legitimate national security concerns,
but seeks such good-neighborly cooperation that would meet the needs
of both nations,” the Parliament Speaker said.

According to the Novosti Georgia news agency, both she and
the visiting Russian minister hailed the idea to set up joint
Russo-Georgian counter-terrorism centers, drawing from the military
bases’ resources. They hope these centers will help prevent acts of
terrorism in the two countries.

Ms Burjanadze brought up the issue of bringing the Roki Tunnel under
the control of Georgian and Russian forces. Presently, the tunnel
is being controlled by paramilitary groups of South Ossetia, one of
Georgia’s breakaway autonomies. Mr Lavrov pointed out in his connection
that the Ossetian people’s opinion should be taken into account.

Elias II, head of the Georgian Orthodox Church, who also met with Mr
Lavrov today, emphasized that Russia should help to restore Georgia’s
territorial integrity. “The main problem in Georgian-Russian relations
is [the controversy over the breakaway provinces] Abkhazia and South
Ossetia,” the Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia argued.

The two men met behind closed doors. Their delegations included Russian
Ambassador Vladimir Chkhikvishvili and members of the Georgian Orthodox
Church’s Holy Synod. At the end of the meeting, Lavrov and Elias II
presented each other with remembrances.