Radio Free Europe, Czech Rep.
March 11 2005

Georgia: Russia Calls Parliamentary Resolution On Bases
‘Counterproductive’
By Valentinas Mite

The Russian Defense Ministry has criticized as “counterproductive” a
unanimous vote by the Georgian parliament pressuring Moscow to close
two Russian military bases in Georgia. The nonbinding resolution,
passed yesterday, demands that Russia agree a timetable by 15 May for
vacating the bases and withdrawing some 4,000 troops. Should Russia
fail to do that, the Georgian lawmakers have vowed to outlaw any
Russian military presence in their country from 1 January 2006. The
dispute is at the heart of ongoing bilateral negotiations. But the
Georgian side appears convinced that the Kremlin’s heart is not
really in those talks.

Prague, 11 March 2005 (RFE/RL) — The Georgian parliament is trying
to force Russia to remove its bases from the country.

Yesterday’s move carries a threat of sharp curbs on Russian troop
movements from January. Those steps would effectively render the
Russian bases in western and southern Georgia nonfunctional.

Georgian lawmaker Giga Bokeria said after the parliamentary vote
yesterday: “In this statement, we are giving more time for diplomacy
despite the fact that Russian diplomacy has proved time and time
again that there is not yet the political will in Russia to withdraw
its bases — which remain here as an echo of Soviet rule and which
are here against the will of the Georgian people.”

Georgian parliamentarians say that if Russia fails to meet the
deadline, its bases will be declared illegal and the Georgian
government will stop issuing entry visas to Russian troops. The
measures also include strict curbs on the movement of vehicles and
equipment.

Moscow had warned that the resolution would obstruct discussions
aimed at forging a compromise on the pullout. Once it passed, the
Russian Defense Ministry described the Georgian resolution as
counterproductive. Ministry spokesman Vyacheslav Sedov told ITAR-TASS
that the “Georgian parliamentary deputies lost their sense of
reality.” He added that the problem cannot be resolved through
“ultimatums.”

Konstantin Zatulin, chairman of the Russian State Duma’s CIS Affairs
Committee, took a tougher stance. He said Russia would respond by
pressing Georgia to pay higher prices for energy supplies and
“toughening its position regarding the Georgian-Ossetian and
Georgian-Abkhaz conflicts,” where the Georgian government is facing
local pressure for independence or autonomy.

So why are Russian troops still in Georgia, more than a decade after
that country gained independence from the Soviet Union?

Aleksandr Goltz, a Russian military expert, explained: “To tell the
truth, these two basis in Georgia are more designed to safeguard
[weapons]. Different kinds of military equipment are stocked there,
and [the equipment] is rather outdated, I must stress. Some 4,000
soldiers are based there. Their main task is to somehow safeguard
that equipment.”

Goltz said the Soviet withdrawal from Eastern Europe was an economic
disaster — with soldiers having no place to return to live in
Russia. That was accompanied by the widespread theft of military
equipment. He said eliminating the bases in Georgia would be easy in
technical terms, since many people who serve on the bases are locals,
and the biggest task would be transporting the military equipment to
Russia.

Goltz said the main problem is not a logistical one but a political
one. The Kremlin, he suggests, is simply not sufficiently interested
in removing its military presence in Georgia. “The main thing here is
Russia’s desire to show its military might, a wish to show that it is
ready and able to act — especially in such a complicated place as
the Caucasus,” he said.

On the other hand, Goltz said, there is no doubt that, for Russia,
the ethnically mixed and restive Caucasus region is a headache.
Moscow clearly wants to avoid armed conflict in the Caucasus. A war
in Chechnya, which borders Georgia, has contributed significantly to
Moscow’s concerns in the region.

Goltz stressed, however, that Russia should seek permission from
Georgia to further its goals when related actions concern Georgian
territory.

Russia agreed to remove its Soviet-era military bases in 1998. But
since then, Moscow has repeatedly extended the deadline, saying it
needs years and millions of dollars to remove its troops.

Moscow has come under increased pressure recently — not only from
Tbilisi but also from Washington, which supports Georgia’s demand for
a Russian withdrawal.

Russia has military bases in Armenia, but Armenia’s ongoing conflict
with neighboring Azerbaijan has meant that the country welcomes the
Russian military presence.