Russia completes troop withdrawal from Georgia, Georgian lawmakers vote to lift emergency rule Friday

Georgian lawmakers vote to lift emergency rule at 1500 GMT Friday

www.chinaview.cn 2007-11-15 21:12:31

TBILISI, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) --

Georgian lawmakers on Thursday voted to lift the state of emergency at 1500 GMT Friday.

"Risks to the state have been eliminated, and it is unnecessary to continue the state of emergency," Speaker Nino Burdzhanadze said at a session of parliament on Thursday, adding that Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili had decided to lift the state of emergency in the country.

Saakashvili declared 15 days of state of emergency on Nov. 7 following a week of demonstrations and a police crackdown on anti-government protesters.

Under the state of emergency, public rallies have been banned and opposition media shut down.

The United States and the European Union have urged President Saakashvili to end the emergency rule.

Russia completes troop withdrawal from Georgia

www.chinaview.cn 2007-11-15 18:21:51 Print

MOSCOW, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) --

Russia has completed the withdrawal of its troops from Georgia, the commander-in-chief of Russia's Ground Forces Alexei Maslov said on Thursday.

"There are no Russian troops in Georgia any more," Maslov was quoted by the Itar-Tass news agency as saying.

Only Russian peacekeepers deployed in the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia are staying there under their respective mandates, he added.

The last train carrying Russian personnel and equipment left the base in Georgia's Black Sea port city of Batumi to travel overnight Thursday to a Russian military base in Armenia, Maslov said.

The pullout, which was scheduled for completion in late 2008, has been completed ahead of schedule.

Russia inherited four military bases in Georgia from the former Soviet Union following its breakup in the 1990s and had withdrawn from three of them by June this year.

Russia hands over last military base in Georgia

www.chinaview.cn 2007-11-14 03:41:08 Print

TBILISI, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) --

Russia has handed over to Georgia its last military base in the Caucasus nation, ending its military existence there since the Soviet era, news agencies reported on Tuesday.

Troops and vehicles of the Batumi base have been withdrawn and the territory and facilities will be transferred to the Georgian Defense Ministry, according to an agreement signed by Georgia's Deputy Defense Minister Batu Kutelia and Andrei Popov, commander of the Russian military group in the Trans-Caucasus region.

The last train from Batumi has been loading on Tuesday, said spokesman of the Russian Ground Forces Igor Konashenkov.

"The train is to depart from Batumi on Thursday, Nov. 15. It will take the military cargo to Gyumri in Armenia for the 10th Russian military base," Interfax quoted him as saying.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

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