Russia completes withdrawing troops from Georgia, intensifies peacekeeping presence in breakaway regions

Minister: Russia completes withdrawing troops from Georgia

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-23 01:10:47

MOSCOW, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) --

Russia has withdrawn its troops from Georgia to South Ossetia "as planned," Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov said on Friday.

"The withdrawal of the Russian forces and units has gone by without incident and was completed by 7:50 p.m. Moscow time (1550 GMT), as planned," Interfax news agency quoted Serdyukov as saying.

Some of the forces that had left Georgia have already arrived at their bases in Russia, Serdyukov said.

"So the Russian side has complied with the agreements recorded in Moscow's Medvedev-Sarkozy principles," Serdyukov said.

Georgia launched attacks against its breakaway South Ossetia on Aug. 7 in an attempt to regain control of the breakaway region bordering Russia.

In retaliation, Moscow sent in troops that drove Georgian forces out of the region and took over parts of Georgian territory.

Moscow promised in a French-brokered cease-fire agreement that it will withdraw its troops as of Friday.

South Ossetia, formerly an autonomous region within Georgia, declared independence from the former Soviet republic in the early1990s. However, its independence has not been internationally recognized.

Russia intensifies peacekeeping presence in Georgia's breakaway regions

www.chinaview.cn 2008-08-23 00:29:37

MOSCOW, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) --

Russia on Friday increased its peacekeeping forces and posts in Georgia's breakaway regions while pulling its troops out of the conflict zone in keeping with the deadline set in a France-brokered ceasefire deal.

"Eighteen peacekeeping observer posts have been set up on the administrative border of Georgia and South Ossetia," said the deputy chief of the Russian General Staff, Anatoly Nogovitsyn.

These check points are designed to prevent the infiltration of looters and the transport of unaccounted arms and ammunition, Nogovitsyn told a press conference in Moscow.

Russian troops have entered the final stage of withdrawal from the conflict zone, he added.

"By the end of the day, they will be pulled out."

Local media and officials confirmed Friday that Russian troops are withdrawing from Georgia.

Meanwhile, Russia has also beefed up its peacekeeping operations in Georgia's other breakaway region of Abkhazia.

There are 2,142 Russian peacekeepers in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict zone and they have launched the second stage of putting up observer posts there, Nogovitsyn said.

Georgia launched attacks against South Ossetia on Aug. 7 in an attempt to regain control of the breakaway region bordering Russia. In retaliation, Moscow sent in troops that drove Georgian forces out of the region and took over parts of Georgian territory.

Editor: Mu Xuequan

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