Shevardnadze Says US-Georgian Military Agreement Poses No Threat for Russia

(Tbilisi. April 7, 2003. Civil Georgia) – President Shevardnadze said at the news briefing today that the US-Georgian military agreement, which allows the US government to occupy mutually agreed military facilities in Georgia, poses no threat for Russia.

Georgian President commented on the draft of the decree submitted by the group of the Russian MPs to the Duma Council, which is the Russian Parliament’s lower chamber, criticizing US-Georgian military agreement.

The draft of the decree calls the Russian government to revise Moscow’s policy towards the Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which seek for “associated membership” in Russia.

Eduard Shevardnadze said that before Russian MPs start discussion of the US-Georgian military agreement, which is scheduled for April 9, “they’d better think over legality of the presence of the Russian military bases in Georgia, which were to be disbanded according to the OSCE 1999 treaty.”