Russia's commitment to withdrawing all forces from all of Georgia except the two breakaway regions was a "very important" result of the talks between the French and Russian leaders, a senior Georgian official said on Monday.
After meeting with French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier in the day, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to withdraw all Russian troops within one month from buffer zones around Georgia's breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
Russia also committed itself to removing its checkpoints from the Black Sea port of Poti under the condition that Georgia signs a pledge not to use force against Abkhazia.
The head of the National Security Council Secretary, Alexander Lomaya, said it was "very important" that an agreement was reached on the continued withdrawal of Russian forces, according to the Caucasus Press news agency.
Georgia was satisfied that Sarkozy reiterated the European Union (EU)'s positions which included support for Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, Lomaya said.
Sarkozy, on his second round of shuttle diplomacy since Georgia's latest conflict with Russia broke out a month ago, flew into Tbilisi late Monday night to brief the Georgian leadership on his talks with Medvedev.
His whirlwind visits to the two countries in the initial days of the conflict helped bring about a ceasefire deal that ended the fighting, which began when Tbilisi sent in troops to reclaim South Ossetia and triggered a Russian counter-offensive.
But Georgia and the West have accused Russia of failing to honor its pledge to withdraw its troops to pre-conflict positions. Russia says its troops remaining in Georgia are serving on a peacekeeping mission agreed in the ceasefire deal.
Under Monday's agreement, 200 EU observers will be deployed in Georgia by Oct. 1 to monitor the Russian withdrawal, and international talks on Abkhazia and South Ossetia will begin on Oct. 15 in Geneva.
Source:Xinhua
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