Putin signs law on Russian base pullout from Georgia

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday signed a federal law on the withdrawal of Russian military bases in Georgia, the Kremlin press service said on Thursday.

The law was passed by the State Duma on Oct. 6 and approved by the upper house of parliament on Oct. 13.

Russia inherited four military bases in Georgia from the former Soviet Union and has withdrawn two of them. Nearly 3,000 Russian servicemen are deployed in the Akhalkalaki and Batumi bases.

Russia and Georgia signed an agreement in late March that set out the deadline and details of the pullout of Russian military bases from Georgia. Under the accord, the two sides agreed to complete the phased withdrawal of the Russian bases and other military installations in Georgia by the end of 2008.

Source: Xinhua