Burjanadze Speaks of Russian, Georgian Positions over Bases

Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze said at a news conference on May 16 that according to the recent proposals received from Moscow last week, the Russian side agrees to close down its bases in Georgia in 2008; but she also said that Georgian Parliament?s resolution against bases is in force starting from May 15, meaning that issuing of visas to those Russian servicemen who planned to rotate those in Georgia, is stopped.
 
?We insisted that the Russian bases should be closed down by January 1, 2008; [in new proposals] the Russian side is offering February [2008] as a deadline, and this term is not a matter for dispute,? Nino Burjanadze said.

The Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson also said that Tbilisi rejected a proposal by Moscow to transform the military bases into anti-terrorist centers, as proposal over this issue was an attempt by Russia just to rename military bases into anti-terrorist centers.
 
?We demand the closure of the Russian military bases and only afterwards can we talk about setting up joint anti-terrorist centers, that will be important not only for the Russian-Georgian relationship, but for the entire region as well,? she said.
 
The Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson said that as soon as the Georgian and Russian Presidents sign a document regarding the timeframe and conditions for the pullout, Russia?s two military bases, stationed in Batumi and Akhalkalaki, will continue operating in ?a pullout regime,? in accordance with the new document.

She noted that the Parliament?s resolution on the Russian military bases is already being enforced, meaning that ?these bases are already operating in a pullout regime.?

?This does not mean that [these stipulations will]  pose a threat to the lives or safety of Russian soldiers [serving at these bases], as some forces in Russia describe it, in an attempt to change public opinion against Georgia through provocations and the dissemination of false information,? Burjanadze said.

The Parliamentary Chairperson added that ?in case the sides reach an agreement, the pullout regime will remain liberal, but if the sides fail to agree, the regime will become stricter.?

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)