AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, Russia put the finishing touches on an agreement to pull troops and materiel out of its bases in Georgia March 31, marking the end of two-century military presence.
An agreement signed in Sotchi by Russian army chief Alexei Maslov and the Georgian deputy defense minister, Mamuka Kudava, guaranteed the evacuation and handover of the bases at Akhalkalaki and Batumi will take place by October 1, 2007, the Interfax news agency said.
The two sides had agreed in May last year that the two last Russian bases in Georgia, a former Soviet republic, should be evacuated no later than the end of 2008.
The new agreement states that the pullout can be delayed until December 31 next year only in the case of inclement weather.
The two defense chiefs also established the routes that Russian troops will take on their way out of the country.
Most of the Russian troops and equipment will be repositioned in Vladikavkaz, capital of the nearby Caucasus republic of North Ossetia and close to the rebellious republic of Chechnya.
Russian troops have been based in Georgia for more than 200 years. Georgian leaders invited them in as a bulwark against Turkish and Persian invaders.
