Georgia provokes military conflict with Russia

The former Soviet republic bans the deployment of foreign army bases on its territory and ousts Russian military men too 

The government of Georgia is ready to pass the law about the non-deployment of foreign army bases on its territory, the speaker of the Georgian parliament, Nina Burjanadze, said Thursday.

”Georgia understands Moscow's wish about the non-deployment of foreign army bases on the territory of the country. Furthermore, we repeatedly stated that Georgia was not going to create and strengthen its security with the help of other countries' security,” the speaker said. Nina Burjanadze added that the Georgian government was ready to take legal interests of other states (including Russia) into account, without leaving Georgia's interests aside. “We are ready to do everything not to jeopardize Russia's security,” Burjanadze said.

In the meantime, Georgia provokes another conflict with Russia. The Georgian parliament has recently approved the draft decree about the presence of Russian army bases on the territory of Georgia – in the cities of Batumi and Akhalkalaki. According to the decree, if Moscow and Tbilisi fail to coordinate a certain date to start the withdrawal of Russian bases from Georgia, Tbilisi will demand Moscow should cease the work of its army bases until January 1st, 2006. In addition, Georgian executive authorities will stop issuing entry visas to Russian military men, who serve at the Russian army bases. To crown it all, Georgian authorities will control the movement of Russian servicemen and weaponry on the country's territory.

Russian State Duma deputies do not exclude an opportunity to introduce sanctions against Georgia in the event the republic implements its threats against the military men of the Russian army bases in Batumi and Akhakalaki. “If they deprive our servicemen of the visas or if they arrange provocative actions against them, I do not see any reason why we should continue delivering cheap energy carriers to Georgia,” a member of the Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Konstantin Zatulin said. “Russia's position regarding Georgia's conflicts with Ossetia and Abkhazia is supposed to get tougher too,” the deputy said.

Spokespeople for the Russian Defense Ministry believe that the resolution of the Georgian parliament pertaining to the Russian army bases was counter-productive. “Deputies of the Georgian parliament have lost their feeling of reality. Their resolution on the two Russian army bases is counter-productive. This problem cannot be solved with ultimatums,” the chairman of the Defense Ministry press service, Colonel Vyacheslav Sedov stated.