Russian Senator Comments on Georgian Vote on Bases

Russian Senator Mikhail Margelov, the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Relations of the Russian Federal Council, the upper house of the Parliament, said ?if Georgia wants an immediate pullout of Russian bases, then Moscow finds neither sense nor desire to oppose it.? However, he added that the Russian side should insist on firm guarantees that no troops from a third country will replace the Russian bases in Georgia.

Senior Russian MP Mikhail Margelov’s statement in an interview with the RIA Novosti news agency was a reaction to the Georgian Parliament?s resolution against the Russian bases adopted on March 10.

?We should not forget that when one force disappears, the other replaces it. The vacuum of force is filled up very quickly, and I think that taking into account Russia?s merits before Georgia, Moscow has the right to demand guarantees that the pullout of Russian troops will not encourage the bringing of troops from other superpowers,? Mikhail Margelov said.

Russia insists that a provision be included in the Russo-Georgian comprehensive framework agreement which would ban Georgia from deploying foreign military troops on its soil. The Georgian side has announced that no foreign military bases will be stationed in Georgia but has refused to include this binding commitment in the bilateral agreement with Russia.

The Russian Senator also said that Georgia should completely remove the ?terrorism threat? which allegedly still comes from Georgia?s Pankisi gorge.
 
?It would be more fair if Moscow sets ultimatums to Georgia in response [to the pullout of these bases] by demanding convincing guarantees from Tbilisi, that the territory of Georgia will no longer pose a terrorist threat to Russia,? Mikhail Margelov said.
 
He also warned that besides the military bases, Russia has a ?number of other levers for putting pressure on Tbilisi.?

Some members of the Russia?s lower house of Parliament proposed, on March 9, to impose economic sanctions on Georgia, particularly to increase tariffs on electricity exports to Georgia, in response to the Georgian Parliament?s resolution against the military bases.