Moscow Tells Tbilisi to Keep Pledge on Anti-Terrorist Center

Russia said on November 21 that Georgia was failing to honour a commitment to start talks on the establishment of a joint anti-terrorist center to be based in the former Russian military base in Batumi.

Russia handed over the base to Georgia last week. In accordance with a Russo-Georgian agreement on the withdrawal from military bases, Tbilisi has committed itself to setting up a joint anti-terrorist center in Batumi. The agreement, ratified by the Georgian parliament last April, calls on Russia and Georgia, ?at the earliest possible time? to come to an agreement on the creation of a joint anti-terrorist center. ?Some 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,? the agreement reads.
 
In a statement issued on November 21, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that while Moscow had fulfilled its commitments under the agreement, Georgia was maintaining a non-cooperative stance.

Although Russian troops have withdrawn from bases in Georgia, the Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that Russian servicemen remained as peacekeepers in the Abkhaz and South Ossetian conflict zones.

Russian peacekeepers, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, represented ?a major obstacle for those, who, under cover of peaceful rhetoric, continue preparing for military adventure in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.?

The Russian MoF also criticised what it said was official Tbilisi’s habit of raising spurious complaints against Russia. It said such a stance was designed to cover up Tbilisi’s unconstructive stance in Russo-Georgian relations.  

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