Russia Pushes Joint Anti-Terrorist Center

During his visit to Tbilisi Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gregory Karasin discussed joint measures in the fight against terrorism with the Georgian side, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on April 18.

“The necessity of making progress in joint measures to fight the terrorism threat” was discussed with the Georgian side “first of all in frames of implementing provisions envisaged in the agreements on the creation of a Georgian-Russian anti-terrorist center,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s information note reads.

This provision is envisaged by the March 31 agreement between Russia and Georgia over the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia.

Article 20 of the agreement, which was ratified by the Georgian Parliament on April 13, reads that Russia and Georgia, “at the earliest possible time” should complete the development of the agreement on creating a joint anti-terrorist center and “part of the personnel, material-technical resources and infrastructure of the Russian military base in Batumi shall be used for the benefit of the aforesaid center.”

Opposition parliamentarians have criticized the authorities for this provision claiming that this center means the “legalization of Russian military intelligence” in Batumi.

Deputy Foreign Minister Antadze said at the parliamentary session on April 13 that the “commitment to negotiate with Russia over this issue does not automatically imply that this anti-terrorist center will be created.”

“Talks over this issue will continue if Russia pushes it,” Antadze said on April 13 and added that Russia has so far been “passive” over the issue.

In the information note issued on April 18 the Russian Foreign Ministry also said that joint measures against the terrorism threat should also imply the “Georgia promptly join” the agreement between the members of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) on the exchange of information about portable anti-aircraft missile systems.