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Vladimir Socor in EDM: Russian Forces Begin Withdrawal from Georgia

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  • Vladimir Socor in EDM: Russian Forces Begin Withdrawal from Georgia

    RUSSIAN FORCES BEGIN WITHDRAWAL FROM GEORGIA, DIG HEELS IN MOLDOVA
    by Vladimir Socor

    Eurasia Daily Monitor -- The Jamestown Foundation
    Monday, August 1, 2005 -- Volume 2, Issue 148

    Presented with flowers and Georgian champagne by demonstrators
    cheering the withdrawal, Russian soldiers set out from the Batumi base
    at dawn on July 30 in a convoy bound for Russia. The move marks the
    beginning of Russia's implementation of the agreement, signed May 30 by
    Ministers of Foreign Affairs Sergei Lavrov and Salome Zourabichvili,
    on the closure of three Russian bases and the complete withdrawal of
    their garrisons from Georgia by 2008.

    The convoy of nine wheeled armored vehicles crossed Georgia's entire
    territory from west to east, proceeding via Mtskheta, Tskhinvali,
    and the Roki Tunnel, en route to Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia. The
    decrepit vehicles moved slowly and had to pause along the way for
    emergency repairs before reaching Russian territory on August 1.

    On July 28, a convoy of four armored vehicles and four
    anti-chemical-biological-radiological defense vehicles left Russia's
    base at Akhalkalaki in Georgia, as part of a scheduled relocation of
    some of the weaponry from Akhalkalaki to the Russian base at Gyumri
    in Armenia. Georgian border guards near Ninotsminda briefly stopped
    that convoy when they found five unlisted machine-guns and five signal
    guns during inspection of the vehicles. The episode demonstrated the
    Georgian border guards' effectiveness in carrying out the mutually
    agreed inspection procedure. The incident was quickly resolved and
    the convoy allowed to proceed.

    During the month of August, more Russian equipment is scheduled to
    be moved from the Batumi and Akhalkalaki bases, partly to Russia and
    partly to Armenia. Two amphibious ships will evacuate the largest
    convoy, consisting of 40 armored vehicles and including 20 battle
    tanks, from Batumi to Russia.

    The Russian military has asked Georgia to repair or reinforce five
    bridges on the road from the Akhalkalaki base to Akhaltsikhe, so as
    to make possible the movement of a planned convoy of Russian heavy
    vehicles. >>From Akhaltsikhe, the convoy would travel to Batumi by
    rail, then to Russia by sea.

    Headed by Lt.-General Valery Yevnevich, deputy commander in chief
    of Russia's Ground Forces, an ad-hoc staff of Russian officers has
    arrived at the Tbilisi headquarters of the Group of Russian Forces
    in the Transcaucasus to supervise the withdrawal of equipment
    and troops. Some transit issues of political and technical nature
    are yet to be resolved, however, between the Georgian and Russian
    governments. Talks held on July 25-26 in Moscow did not conclusively
    settle these issues.

    In a specially convened briefing on July 29, Zourabichvili welcomed
    Russia's political decision on withdrawal of its forces from Georgia
    and the beginning of the agreement's implementation. By signing the
    agreement, Zourabichvili noted, Russia has undertaken an obligation
    before Georgia and the entire international community to carry out the
    withdrawal fully and on schedule (Rustavi-2 TV, Imedi TV, Interfax,
    NTV Mir, Arminfo, July 28-31; see EDM, May 24, June 3).

    In Moldova, however, Russia seems to be signaling that it has
    no intention to withdraw its forces, despite its 1999 Istanbul
    commitments to withdraw the forces from both Georgia and Moldova
    unconditionally. On July 29, Russia's Defense Minister Sergei
    Ivanov declared that Russian troops would not leave Moldova until
    Russian arsenals there are relocated to Russia. At the same time,
    Russia takes the position that the arsenals cannot be removed until
    Chisinau agrees with Tiraspol on a political settlement. Charging
    that the Moldovan leadership's calls for Russian troop withdrawal
    "are aimed at damaging Russian-Moldovan relations," Ivanov scoffed,
    "They can wish whatever they like. There is nothing wrong with wishing
    something." (In the same news conference, Ivanov used an identical
    phrase to dismiss NATO's proposal to extend Operation Active Endeavor
    with Russian participation into the Black Sea.) (Interfax, Russian
    Television Channel One, July 29).

    In a July 30 statement, Russia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs insists
    that implementation of the "so-called Istanbul accords" is conditional
    on a political resolution between Chisinau and Tiraspol "with the
    assistance of Russia, Ukraine, and OSCE." Moscow's statement goes on to
    criticize the Moldovan parliament's July 22 law on the basic principles
    of a settlement (see EDM, July 26) for "hampering the efforts by
    mediators from Russia, Ukraine, and OSCE." (Interfax, July 30). On
    July 31, Russia's charge d'affaires in Chisinau, Yuri Mordvintsev,
    portrayed Russia's military presence in Moldova as "responsibility
    for peacekeeping" by Russia as a "guarantor country and mediator
    country ... ready along with Ukraine and the OSCE to continue providing
    assistance at the negotiating table for mutually acceptable solutions."
    (RIA-Novosti, July 31). For its part, Moldova quit the Russian-created
    "mediating" and "guaranteeing" system one year ago, and the July 22
    law is designed to preclude any restoration of that system.

    --Vladimir Socor
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