Russia continues to withdraw troops from the conflict zone, Lavrov reminds NATO of why the Council was created

Russia continues to withdraw troops from the conflict zone

Russia Today, August 19, 2008, 18:19

Russia says it is continuing to withdraw its troops from the Georgian-South Ossetian conflict zone as stipulated in the six-point peace agreement, despite the Georgian side’s not fulfilling the obligation to pull out its troops in turn.

The withdrawal is expected to speed up after August 22, but the military says progress will depend on the situation on the ground.

“I emphasise that the withdrawal of reinforcement troops is underway. We are currently pulling out rear units and heavy weaponry. We are also clearing withdrawal routes as the Georgian army left a lot of weaponry including tanks on the roads, which is hindering the withdrawal,” said Russian General Staff Deputy Head Anatoly Nogovitsyn at a news briefing in Moscow on Tuesday.

Georgia failing to fulfill its obligations - Russian military

"Although Mikhail Saakashvili put his signature under the six-point plan, committing himself to pull his troops back to their home bases, we can see today that this obligation has not been fulfilled," said Russian General Staff Deputy Head Anatoly Nogovitsyn at a news briefing in Moscow on Tuesday.

As for the exchange of POWs on Tuesday, Nogovitsyn confirmed Georgia had no more captured Russian servicemen.

According to Nogovitsyn Russia has handed 15 Georgian servicemen over to Georgia and received five Russians in exchange, including two pilots.

"The Georgian side said they have no more Russian POWs," Nogovitsyn said before adding: "Thus, they have made it clear to us that it is a one-time exchange and Russia has nothing more to expect. And they [Georgia] will give us some list."

Meanwhile, according to Nogovitsyn, Georgia claims 80 Georgian servicemen are currently being held in Russia.

Nogovitsyn also said three individuals of Arab nationality had been among the Georgian servicemen detained by Russian forces.

"Twenty servicemen in Georgian uniforms were detained outside Poti, and three of them are Arabs," said Nogovitsyn.

In addition, some Ukrainians fighting on the Georgian side were killed during an operation by Russian forces according to Nogovitsyn.

Russia won't be lectured by NATO - Lavrov

RT, August 19, 2008, 19:07

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has been briefing the media in Moscow. He stated that the Russia-NATO council was created 'not for the purpose of disciplining Russia or educating it in terms of how it should behave.'

Lavrov said that the council's goal is to help solve large-scale problems in the European region

(WATCH the media conference).

"We think that all these problems remain urgent, and everything depends on our partners here. The principle we follow in the council is 'one side - one vote', this is not an kind of organisation where NATO supersedes Russia."

The Foreign Minister also commented on Georgia's plan of entering NATO.

"In general, my impression is that the membership plan and this entire policy of drawing Georgia into NATO is not so that Georgia should meet NATO standards, it's just anti-Russian policy, supporting an aggressive regime in Georgia".

He also pointed out that Russia is fully compliant with the six-point plan - unlike Georgia.

"The fact that Mr Saakashvili signed a modified version of the agreement and that attempts to get a UN Security Council resolution signed have been torpedoed - all of this indicates that it is not NATO countries telling Mr Saakashvili what he should do to meet high NATO standards; it's Mr Saakashvili telling developed democracies such as NATO countries what they should do to satisfy his ambitions".

Russia needs no instructions on Black Sea Fleet - Medvedev

RT, August 19, 2008

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has stated Russia’s Black Sea Fleet will be under special state control and that Russia needs no instructions from Ukraine or any other country on how to behave in the area. The statement comes following Ukrainian efforts to regain control over the movements of Russian warships in the Black Sea.
"The Black Sea will be in the zone of our special control. We do not need instructions on how to behave," Medvedev said in Vladikavkaz on Monday.

As far as the situation around the Black Sea is concerned, it will "strictly comply with the international agreements and the decrees signed by myself as the supreme commander-in-chief," he said.

"Unqualified interference will not result in anything good," he said.

On August 13 the Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko expressed his intention of implementing two recommendations made by the National Security and Defence Council regarding the movement of the Russian Black Sea Fleet outside its base in the Crimea.

According to the decisions, warships or planes may only cross Ukraine's state border after at least a 72-hour prior notice to the Ukrainian General Staff. Such a notice should also contain information about arms, ammunition and explosives and military equipment.

Yushchenko had earlier described the use of Russian Black Sea Fleet ships in military operations in the Black Sea area as a dangerous precedent.

On August 10 Ukraine warned Russia against the possible participation of the Black Sea Fleet in the conflict in South Ossetia. The Russian Foreign Ministry in response expressed surprise over the tone and content of the statement. It said in its comments that the measures which Ukraine had threatened to take would not be consistent with Russian-Ukrainian agreements and would be unfriendly towards Russia.

Meanwhile, acting chairman of the Ukrainian National Security and Defence Council Valentin Nalivaichenko has called for the creation of an international commission for assessing the Black Sea Fleet's actions in Georgia and help work out a mechanism of control over its operations.

He also called for hiring international experts to work in the sub-commission on the Black Sea Fleet within the international Ukraine-Russia commission.

He believes it's necessary to investigate all cases when the Black Sea Fleet puts to sea to find out if this is consistent with Ukrainian legislation and international agreements.

Meanwhile, Anatoly Nogovitsyn of Russian General Staff says the United States, Canada and Poland are planning to introduce their warships into the Black Sea by the end of August.

"As far as we know, U.S., Canadian and Polish naval forces are planning to introduce their warships into the Black Sea by the end of August," Nogovitsyn told a news conference on Tuesday.

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