Vladimir Putin: Russia and Georgia seek to establish effective interaction in combating terrorism - 7 October, 2002

Russia and Georgia "intend and want to resolve the main problem - to establish effective interaction in the struggle against terrorism". As a RIA Novosti correspondent reports, Vladimir Putin said this to journalists after his meeting with Eduard Shevardnadze.

"We do not rule out intensification of the contacts between the secret services and participation of specialists in the joint effort," the Russian president said. According to him, following Eduard Shevardnadze's proposal, instructions will be given to the frontier services of both countries "to improve interaction up to joint patrolling of the state border". "The Ministries of Foreign Affairs will simultaneously tackle the problem of the border itself," Putin said.

As the Russian President said, during his meeting with Eduard Shevardnadze, they had exchanged information and held consultations on the state of Russian-Georgian relations. The meeting was very productive, in the spirit of complete openness, the president emphasized.

Asked by the journalists if the question of withdrawal of the Russian bases from the territory of Georgia had been discussed, Vladimir Putin said that Shevardnadze had not raised this question.