MOSCOW. Feb 12 (Interfax-AVN) - Russia has no intention of increasing its military presence in Abkhazia and Georgia, Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said during a meeting with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili in Moscow on Wednesday.
"I have assured Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili that Russia's military presence in Georgia will not be increased. There are no reasons to increase the number of Russian peacekeepers in Abkhazia, either," Ivanov told reporters on Wednesday.
"The time period for withdrawing Russian military based from Georgia was not discussed during the meeting," Ivanov said.
"This issue will be discussed by representatives of the two countries' delegations in the future. This matter will be handled by the Foreign Ministry, not the Defense Ministry," he said.
The meeting with Saakashvili addressed issues relating to bilateral cooperation in defense and security, Ivanov said. "We have discussed the situation on the border and came to the conclusion that the current security threats bother Georgia and Russia equally," he said.
Ninety Russian nationals have been killed in the Georgian- Abkhaz conflict area, Ivanov said. "Unfortunately, there are still problems there," he said.
In addition, the meeting addressed the possibility of Georgian officers receiving training in Russia.
"Georgia will decide itself what specialists it needs. Georgian military men will study in Russia on the same terms as military men from other CIS countries, that is, on extremely good terms," Ivanov said.
The meeting proceeded in an open and trusting atmosphere, Ivanov said.