Tbilisi Hails Withdrawal of Russian Troops Ahead of Schedule
Georgian Parliamentary Chairperson Nino Burjanadze welcomed the decision of Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov to withdraw the entire garrison of the Group of Russian Troops in the Transcaucasus, stationed in Tbilisi, ahead of schedule.
?If the Russian authorities had acted more wisely, they would have withdrawn the so-called GRVZ (the Group of Russian Troops in Transcaucasus) and military bases from Georgia earlier. Moreover, it would have played a normal and positive role with conflict resolution issues. In this case Russia would have had a more positive influence than it wants to have now through economic sanctions and blockades,? Burjanadze said on October 11.
She said that normal states can implement their legal interests by using normal and civilized methods. ?However, imposing blockades and sanctions against countries like Georgia will only be counterproductive,? Burjanadze added.
Meanwhile, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Ivanov denied on October 10 that Russia has imposed a blockade or sanctions against Georgia.
?Russia puts economic pressure on Georgia, but this can not be called either sanctions, or a blockade. Freight is still moving between the two countries and money transfers have not been suspended,? RIA Novosti news agency quoted Ivanov as saying.
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