Russian news agency Itar-Tass quoted an unnamed high-level official from the Russian Defense Ministry on April 18 as saying that Russia insists on a 3-4 year timeframe for the Russian military bases’ withdrawal from Georgia.
“The timeframe offered by the Georgian side in a manner of an ultimatum, which envisages half the time period [as the one offered by the Russian side] is absolutely unacceptable for us,” said the unnamed source.
“Russia will not undertake measures for a withdrawal of its military bases from Georgia until the sides reach a mutually acceptable agreement at the Russian-Georgian talks,” he added.
He said that the April 14-15 talks over military bases, which were held in Tbilisi, “failed.”
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