Agreement on closing Russian bases in Georgia nearly coordinated: Georgian official

The Georgian-Russian agreement on closing the Russian bases in territories of Georgia almost has been hammered out, the Itar-Tass news agency reported on Monday, citing a senior Georgian official.

"Most items of the agreement on the schedule of the Russian bases' withdrawal from Batumi and Akhalkalaki have already been coordinated," Chairman of the Georgian parliament's committee for international relations Kote Gabashvili said on Monday.

"The draft document proposed by Russia is on the whole acceptable for Georgia, and it is needed to coordinate a number of details," the chairman continued.

According to him, it will take just a week to draw up the timetable of the removal of the Russian military bases from Batumi and Akhalkalaki.

"If the arrangement is not reached within a week, the resolution of the Georgian parliament will go into effect, and the Russian military bases will automatically go into the regime of their withdrawal," Gabashvili noted.

In accordance with the entry of the March 10 parliamentary resolution, visas to Georgia will not be issued to Russian servicemen, he said, indicating there will be no more rotation of the bases' personnel and the supply of armaments to the bases, and the bases will in effect terminate their functioning in a year and a half.

Gela Charkviani, the spokesman for the Georgian president, said the other day, "The parliamentary resolution remains in force. It has played and continues playing a considerable role in stepping up the negotiations, but it will not operate in full for a certain period until the Georgian-Russian negotiations are completed".

The Russian side sounded firm Saturday on the issue of the withdrawal of its military bases in Georgia, warning of tough measures in response to the ultimatum-like resolution that approved by the Georgian parliament in March.

Speaking on Moscow Echo radio, Deputy Foreign Minister Valery Loshchinin described the ultimatum as "counterproductive" and noted "The resolution of the Georgian parliament provoked a sharp reaction from the Russian parliament and Russia may take rather tough measures."

Russia still has two military bases in Georgia after closing another two in 1999. The Georgian side insists on the bases' removal in two and a half years, while the Russian side wishes to have the timetable of four years.

Source: Xinhua