RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES TO BE WITHDRAWN FROM GEORGIA IN 2008 – FOREIGN MINISTER LAVROV
16:38
RIA Novosti, Russia
May 30 2005
MOSCOW, May 30 (RIA Novosti) – The withdrawal of the Russian military
bases from Georgia will be completed within 2008, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov said following the talks with his Georgian
counterpart Salome Zurabishvili. The ministers signed a joint
statement regulating bilateral relations after their talks in Moscow.
“The withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Akhalkalaki and
Batumi is the key issue of the statement,” Lavrov said. “Military
hardware and personnel will be withdrawn at first. After that, Russia
will hand its military facilities to Georgia,” he added. There are
two Russian military bases in Georgia today – in Batumi (Adzharia)
and Akhalkalaki (on the Georgian-Armenian border).
The decision on their pullout was made at the OSCE (Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe) summit in Istanbul in 1999. The
pullout terms became a stumbling block in Russian-Georgian relations.
The Russian Defense Ministry planned to withdraw troops no sooner
than in 3-4 years. The Georgian side insisted that it should be done
by January 1, 2008.