MOSCOW. Oct 16 (Interfax-AVN) - The withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia allows the latter to considerably beef up its military power, which will tip the balance of forces in Transcaucasia, Major General Nikolai Bezborodov, a member of the State Duma Defense Committee, told Interfax-AVN.
"When the Russian military bases are withdrawn, Georgia will exceed the maximum limit of conventional arms, envisioned by the CFE Treaty of November 19, 1990," Bezborodov said.
He noted that Georgia would exceed the quotas specified by 115 tanks, 160 armored combat vehicles, including 75 IFVs and heavily armed vehicles, and over 170 100-mm artillery pieces.
"At the same time it is totally unknown what Tbilisi is going to do with the quotas. If Georgia joins NATO and hosts NATO forces, it may transfer the quotas to the U.S. or other NATO member-states. Such a move will not breach provisions of the CFE Treaty," he emphasized.
According to him, it will considerably tip the balance of forces in Transcaucasia against Russia.