After years of uncertainty, Russia and Georgia finally agreed to a timetable for the withdrawal of Russian forces from two military bases in Georgia. Consequent to this agreement the freeze imposed by Georgia on the bases stands automatically suspended.
In a press conference held on Monday to announce the agreement, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that there would be a phased withdrawal of 3,000 Russian troops by 2008. Georgia and Russia had hoped to reach some sort of agreement before the historic May 9 celebrations held in Moscow to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe. The issue had appeared to be deadlocked when Russia said that it needed three years to complete the withdrawal. After this Georgia had boycotted the Moscow celebrations and threatened to blockade the two bases.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili expressed hope that this agreement would bring normalcy in the relations between the two countries, which have been strained due to this problem, "I am sure that with the removal of one of the painful problems in Georgian-Russian relations we can adjust to more constructive relations," he commented.
Georgian foreign minister Salome Zurabishvili said that all Russian weapons would be withdrawn from the country. She added that if any of the Russian officers wanted to remain in Georgia, they could do so. "We expect up to one-third of the servicemen to use this chance," she said. The issue of withdrawal of Russian forces from the military bases of the two bases in Batumi and Akhalkalaki has been a thorn in the flesh of the two countries and this agreement would go a long way in mending relations, she added.
She refused to comment on whether the disbanded bases would be used by NATO to establish its own bases, "This is an issue of sovereignty for Georgia and should be decided by its own government," she said. "But Georgia, which wants to be a tourist center, is not interested in the presence of any foreign bases."
Meanwhile, a high-ranking Russian military official said that Russia would begin the withdrawal only in 2006, "Taking account of the fact that the federal budget for this year does not envision spending on the withdrawal of the bases from Georgia, all the necessary measures may start to be taken as part of this process in 2006. The removal of the Russian bases from Georgia will be governed by the amount of funds to be allocated for the purposes, technical capabilities and the deadline of 2008," he said.
