Russia Refuses to Pull Out Bases by 2008

Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zourabichvili said on May 6, after four-hour long talks with her Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, that the two sides failed to reach an agreement over the timeframe for the withdrawal of two Russian bases from Georgia.

“The [Georgian] President will not travel to Moscow, as nothing important [has been agreed] that could be worth visiting [Moscow],” Zourabichvili said in an interview with Rustavi 2 television.

Georgia insists that thesemilitary bases in Batumi and Akhalkalaki be closed by January 1, 2008, however the Russian said says that this period is not enough for the withdrawal of Russian servicemen and military hardware from Georgia.