Saakashvili Says ‘No’ to Moscow Visit

Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said at a news conference in Tbilisi that during a phone conversation on May 7 he personally informed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin regarding his decision not to travel to Moscow on May 8-9 because there has been no progress made in talks over the timeframe of the withdrawal of two Russian military bases from Georgia.

?He [Putin] has received our position with understanding,? Mikheil Saakashvili said.

?I?d rather stay here and celebrate this day with our [Georgian] veterans [of World War II]. I think this is a very pragmatic decision,? he added.

He also said that despite intensive talks carried out with the Russian side in recent months no final agreement has been reached yet over a timeframe for the Russian bases’ withdrawal from Batumi and Akhalkalaki.

?These bases are the last legacy of the Soviet totalitarian domination here and we hope that this issue will be solved in a civilized, diplomatic manner,? the Georgian President stated, adding that ?it is very difficult to talk about my visit to Moscow when we have this problem.?

Mikheil Saakashvili refrained from answering the question of whether Georgia will impose certain restrictions on the Russian bases in case an agreement is not reached before May 15, 2005, as is envisaged by a resolution adopted by the Georgian Parliament on March 10.

?We sincerely hope that this issue [with the bases] will be solved,? Saakashvili replied.

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