MOSCOW. Feb 27 (Interfax-AVN) - A senior Russian general said on Wednesday that 80% of Russian military facilities in Georgia had been handed over to the Georgian government.
He said the total cost of these and the other 20% was about RUB3bn (USD96.89m).
"With time, Russian troops will undoubtedly be withdrawn from Georgian territory," Deputy Defense Minister Army General Alexander Kosovan told a news conference in Moscow.
He said Russia had met its commitments under the Istanbul agreements by "completely" removing two military bases from Georgia, one in Vaziani and the other in Gudauta.
The fate of two other Russian bases, in Batumi and in Akhalkalaki, is being decided at negotiations with Georgia. Russia insists on the 14-year term of the bases' withdrawal, Kosovoan said.
"We do not want to leave Georgia like we left Germany in the past, when our officers and enlisted men were literally abandoned in the field. It will not happen again," the deputy minister stressed.
The Russian troops will be withdrawn from Georgia only after infrastructure for their accomodation in Russia is prepared, he said.
At the same time, if Georgia raises the necessary funds from foreign sponsors, the withdrawal term may be cut three to four times. "No agreement with the Georgian party on the withdrawal term exists," Kosovan said.
Russia has suggested holding a meeting of experts on the bases' withdrawal at the expert level in March and the next leg of full-scale negotiations in April.
"We are waiting for the reply of the Georgian party," Kosovan concluded. as cj