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U.S. Backs Georgia in Hard Talks over Russian Military Bases » Military « Main Page
Giorgi Sepashvili, Civil Georgia / 2004-01-15 10:17:12

Around 2,000 Russian servicemen are deployed
at the military bases in Georgia.
In the military area, as in many other ones, relations between Georgia and Russia remain stalled.

In the wake of the U.S. calls for closing down two Russian military bases in Georgia, Russian Defense Minister ruled out on January 14 hasty pull out of troops from Georgia and added that formal treaty between Moscow and Tbilisi is required for the withdrawal. Georgian Foreign Minister said talks with Russia would be “very hard.”

The 1999 OSCE Istanbul Treaty clearly prescribed the Russian and Georgia sides to reach agreement on the issue before 2001. However, Russian and Georgian officials have failed to narrow the gap on deadlines for closure of the bases since then. Tbilisi says that Moscow’s proposal that at least 10 years will be necessary to pull out its troops is unreal and insists to disband military bases within 3 years.

“No way will we again throw out our soldiers, officers and weapons out into empty field and call that a departure, like it happened in [East] Germany [in the early 90s],” Russian Defense Minster Sergei Ivanov told the press conference on January 14.

He said that Russia will withdraw its military bases from Georgia only after the treaty between Moscow and Tbilisi. “A decision to withdraw the Russian bases from Georgian territory can only be taken in a diplomatic framework,” Ivanov said.

Russian Defense Minister said that redeployment of the Russian troops from Georgia will require funding for the construction of new garrisons in Russia, and the relevant funds will only be allocated by the Russian Finance Ministry “only after an agreement is signed between the two countries.”

Georgian Foreign Minister Tedo Japaridze in an interview to the Imedi television said “the Russians are demanding USD 500 million to speed up their [troops’] withdrawal from Georgia.”

“This is a matter for negotiation. We believe that sums required for pulling out of the base are much lower,” he added.

Tedo Japaridze has recently visited Moscow and held talks with the Russian Defense Ministry officials. Georgian Foreign Minister also told reporters on January 14, that the issue of military bases should be solved through the negotiations and “We need a compromise. It will be hard talks,” he added.

Recently, Washington has intensified efforts to solve the problem and urged Moscow for several times to follow its international commitment and close down its bases in Georgia.

“We look to Russia to fulfill its Istanbul commitments, or follow that closely,” deputy spokesman of the U.S. Department of State Adam Ereli told the press conference in Washington on January 13.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Lynn Pascoe said on January 13, while visiting Tbilisi, referring to U.S. funding for the removal of the Russian troops from Vaziani base, which is near Tbilisi, in 2000, "we have done this in the past and we would be happy to provide some assistance.”

Pascoe said Washington wants Russia, as a member of the OSCE, to honor its commitments, undertaken at the 1999 OSCE Istanbul summit, to withdraw military forces from areas “they are not wanted.”

President of the U.S. Committee on NATO Bruce Jackson said on January 14, while visiting Georgia, that Russian military bases matters not only Russia and Georgia, but also entire Euro-Atlantic area.

The disagreement persists regarding the dates of liquidation of two Russian military bases – one in Batumi, capital of Adjarian Autonomous Republic and Akhalkalaki in southern Georgian region of Samtskhe-Javakheti, which is predominately populated by ethnic Armenians.

The problems remain in regard to the Gudauta military base in Georgia’s breakaway region of Abkhazia. Russia claims that it has already pull out troops and weaponry from Gudauta, while Georgian side cast doubts and demands international monitoring of the base, as the region is out of Georgia’s control. However, issue of the Gudauta base does not top the agenda of the recent disagreements over the military bases between Russia and Georgia.

Beside the Gudauta, Akhalkalaki and Batumi military bases, Russia also has five other military facilities on the Georgian territory, which should also be handed over to the Georgian Defense Ministry. But there is no progress in this regard as well.

These five facilities are: Warehouse and Bath in Tbilisi, military sanatorium in Kobuleti, Adjarian Autonomous Republic, two military camps, belonging to the Akhalkalaki base and Heavy Armor Factory in Tbilisi.

Disbanding of the Russian bases in Batumi and Akhalkalaki are also interlinked with the Georgia’s internal problems. Many commentators say that Russian military base in Batumi is a powerbase for Adjarian strongman Aslan Abashidze, troublemaker for the country’s new leadership.

Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia, where another Russian base is deployed, is at the Turkish border and is populated mostly by ethnic Armenians. Around 15% of Akhalkalaki residents are employed at the Russian base. Many local residents fear that such decision would trigger unemployment in the region.

Georgian officials say that the presence of the Russian military bases in Georgia poses threat to the country’s security and stability.

Georgia’s ambassador to the United Nations Revaz Adamia said last July, while addressing the meeting of the UN programme of action to prevent the illicit trade in arms, that Georgia’s main problem with the Russian bases “is connected specifically to illicit, uncontrolled spread of small arms and light weapons in the region.”

“These bases have turned into the major source of arms and weapons for different secessionist, criminal or terrorist groups,” Revaz Adamia said.

“Unfortunately, these bases do not come under effective control of their central command and, as I have already indicated, are located in the areas with lucrative black market for illicit arms trade. We may declare confidently that these three bases pose major threat to the security of Georgia in terms of dissemination of arms to destabilizing forces in the country as well as in the region,” Georgia’s UN envoy added.

In an interview to Time Georgian President-elect Mikheil Saakashvili said that the Russia’s intentions to keep its military bases in Georgia for 10 years “serve more to bolster imperial self-confidence than Russian security.”

“We can find other things that serve Russian security better than these 2,000 troops. The Russians have interests like safeguarding their southern borders, making them terrorist-proof. We have the same interests,” Saakashvili said.