Russia could start Georgia base pullout this year: Lavrov

MOSCOW: Russian troops could start pulling out of military bases in the ex-Soviet republic of Georgia this year, Interfax news agency quoted Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov as saying Monday. “We made real progress and brought our positions closer on the timetable for the presence and, correspondingly, the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia,” Lavrov said following talks here with his Georgian counterpart, Salome Zurabishvili. “We agree that the pullout will be done in stages and will begin, assuming we sign an agreement, already this year,” the agency quoted Lavrov as saying.Russian officials have previously said that Russian troops would need at least three years to leave the two Soviet-era military bases they still occupy in Georgia. afp

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