Russia Rules out Troops’ Hasty Withdrawal from Georgia
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said today “no way will we again throw out our soldiers, officers and weapons out into empty field and call that a departure, like it happened in [East] Germany [in the early 90s].”
He said that Russia will withdraw its military bases from Georgia only after the treaty between Moscow and Tbilisi.
“A decision to withdraw the Russian bases from Georgian territory can only be taken in a diplomatic framework,” Ivanov said in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk.
Russian Defense Minister said that redeployment of the Russian troops from Georgia will require funding for the construction of new garrisons in Russia, and the relevant funds will only be allocated by the Russian Finance Ministry “only after an agreement is signed between the two countries.”
Russia has two military bases in Batumi, Adjara Autonomous Republic and Akhalkalaki in southern Georgia. Russian military base is also deployed in breakaway Abkhazia; however Moscow claims that it has already disbanded it. Georgia demands international monitoring of the Gudauta base in Abkhazia.
Tbilisi says that Moscow’s proposal that at least 10 years will be necessary to pull out its troops is unreal and insists to disband military bases within 3 years.
Georgian Foreign Minister Tedo Japaridze told reporters on January 14, that the issue of military bases should be solved through the negotiations. “It will be hard talks,” he added.
