Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said in Tbilisi Tuesday his government is able to settle with Russia the thorny issue of Russian military bases withdrawal by the end of this year.

The withdrawal of the Russian military bases is very important to Georgia, Saakashvili said while meeting with students at a Tbilisi college, according to Georgian media reports.

Russia retained four military bases in Georgia after the disintegration of the former Soviet Union. It withdrew two of the bases later. But the two countries have not yet reached agreement on a timetable for the pullout of the remaining two bases.

Meanwhile, Saakashvili said, the current priority of Georgia isto restore its territorial integrity.

He said Georgia will do its utmost to win back the breakaway region of Abkhazia, but stressed that the territorial integrity should be achieved through peaceful means.

Abkhazia claimed independence in 1992, but no country has ever recognized it. The regional government has cultivated close ties with Russia.

Source: Xinhua