Georgia Pulls Out from Air Defense Treaty with Russia
Georgian Foreign Ministry notified Russia on May 5 that Tbilisi had withdrawn from air defense cooperation treaty with Russia.
Agreement on cooperation between the Ministry of Defense of Georgia and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation in the air defense sphere was signed in 1995.
“Georgia has declared policy of non-participation in any military cooperation in frames of the Commonwealth of Independent States,” Batu Kutelia, the Georgian deputy defense ministry, said on May 5.
Interfax new agency reported quoting unnamed source from the Russian Defense Ministry that Georgia’s withdrawal from the treaty would “not weaken the CIS United Air Defense System, since Georgia’s participation has been only nominal.” the defense official said.