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RUSSIAN BASES' PULLOUT FROM GEORGIA STARTS NEW RELATIONS

RIA Novosti

MOSCOW, April 26 (RIA Novosti) - Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili said she hopes that the withdrawal of the Russian bases from Georgia will signify the start of a new stage in bilateral relations.

"Our goal is that the process of withdrawal of the Russian military bases from the territory of Georgia be a new stage of cooperation, rather than new problems", she told the RIA Novosti press conference on Tuesday.

"At the talks yesterday (with the Russian foreign minister) we did reach progress for the first time. Much work is still ahead and particulars still have to be coordinated. But, the most important thing is that we've agreed upon the process", Zurabishvili said.

"The most important thing for our relations is that the process (base withdrawal) be transparent, clear, on-ward and stage-wise for us to know what will happen at every stage and get rid of uncertainties and lack of understanding", she said.

Zurabishvili said that Russia and Georgia may have stepped on the road of new mutual relations.

She said that at the talks with the Russian foreign minister, in discussion were the border delimitation, setting up a joint antiterrorist center in Georgia, visa regime and conflict settling.

"They are the problems we must be prepared to handle and have agreed upon joint work", she noted.

On Tuesday Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told journalists after talks with his Georgian opposite number that the withdrawal of the Russian bases from Georgia may begin as soon as this year.

"We've agreed that the withdrawal will be stage-by-stage and may begin already this year", Lavrov said. "This goes for both military machines and facilities which are not in the base infrastructure".