Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
March 31, 2006 Friday 12:55 PM MSK
Russian experts positive over withdrawal of bases from Georgia
MOSCOW March 31
The withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia will allow
Moscow to cooperate more actively with Abkhazia and South Ossetia,
Academy of Geopolitical Problems Vice President Colonel General
Leonid Ivashov said.
“Withdrawing from Georgia, Russia will be able to act more freely in
the South Caucasus. Moscow will be able to interact more actively
with Abkhazia and South Ossetia, including in the interests of
guaranteeing the security of Russians leaving there,” he told
Interfax- Military News Agency on Friday.
“Moreover, there will be an opportunity to activate cooperation with
Armenia, Azerbaijan and other countries, ignoring Georgia’s anti-
Russian policy and Georgia itself,” the expert said.
Ivashov stressed that this approach is fully justified today. “It may
chasten current or future Georgian leaders and bring our relations to
a normal and calm route,” he said.
The withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia is a positive
step by Moscow, Alexander Khramchikhin, chief of the Political and
Military Analysis Institute’s analytical department, told
Interfax-AVN.
“It is difficult to say why we needed these bases. In fact Russia did
not really use them,” Khramchikhin said.
In particular, the Russian bases were not used to counter the
militants who were operating from Georgian territory. It is known
that Georgia was the main foothold of Chechen militants for a long
time, and the presence of Russian military bases did not bother them
in any way,” he noted.
According to him, the Russian military bases may remain in Georgia
only if the situation in the region changes dramatically. “For
instance, if the Russian military bases become necessary for Georgia,
as they are now for Armenia, who views the base in Gyumri as a
guarantee against Turkey’s aggression,” he said.
“But in the foreseeable future I cannot imagine the return of Russian
military bases to Georgia,” the expert stressed.