Russians 'leaving Georgian port'

13/09/2008| IslamWeb

Russian troops have begun withdrawing from the Georgian port of Poti, on the country's Black Sea coast, reports say.

 

A column of trucks, soldiers and armored vehicles left the town, apparently heading towards Abkhazia, one of Georgia's pro-Russian regions.

 

Russia had agreed to pull its troops out of Georgia under a ceasefire deal brokered by the European Union to end a brief conflict with Georgia in August.

 

Troops are expected to remain within South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

 

Earlier in the week Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow needed a continuing presence in Georgia's breakaway regions, to ensure security.

 

Moscow says it has established formal diplomatic ties with the administrations in the two regions, following an "irrevocable" decision - to recognize them as independent states.

 

Fighting between Russia and Georgia began on 7 August after the Georgian military tried to retake the breakaway region of South Ossetia by force.

 

Russian forces launched a counter-attack and the conflict ended with the ejection of Georgian troops from both South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

 

PHOTO CAPTION

 

Russian troops in the South Ossetian capital, Tskhinvali

 

BBC