Russian Senior MP, Senator Comment on Military Bases

Chairmen of the Russia?s lower and upper houses of the Parliament Boris Grizlov and Sergey Mironov, respectively, said, on March 9, that the issue of withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia should be solved through negotiations, Interfax news agency reported.

?The issue of the presence of Russian military bases on Georgian territory is already being discussed in details. I think there are two problems: the timeframe of the pull out and financial resources, which will be allocated to Russia for the redeployment of [Russian] servicemen [from Georgia] on the Russian territory,? Boris Grizlov, the Chairman of Russian Duma Council told reporters.

Chairman of the Russia?s Council of Federation, the upper house of the Parliament, Sergey Mironov told reporters that ?Russia and Georgia reached an agreement and the issue of withdrawal of our bases from Georgia should be solved by specially designated officials [during the talks].?

Both Grizlov and Mironov commented on the Georgian Parliament?s intention to discuss a resolution envisaging a declartion that the Russian military bases in are Georgia illegal.