Russia Offers Georgia Joint Anti-Terrorism Center
On December 10 Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov offered to set up a joint Russian-Georgian counterterrorism center where the current the Russian military bases in Georgia exist.
?The time has come to find modern, more flexible forms of cooperation in the spheres of defense and coordination of counterterrorist activities. With this purpose in mind we could set up a joint Russian-Georgian special center with branches in Batumi and Akhalkalaki,? Russian media quoted Ivanov as saying on December 10.
Russia has military bases in Batumi, capital of the Adjara Autonomous Republic, and Akhalkalaki, in southern Georgia.
Ivanov added that it would be appropriate to use the infrastructure of the Russian military bases in Georgia for setting up a joint anti-terrorist center.
In June, Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili proposed setting up a joint anti-terrorism centers with Russia in exchange of withdrawal of the Russian military bases, while visiting the United States. But Russia met the proposal with indifference.
