Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said on June 21 that the withdrawal of Russia?s two military bases from Georgia and their redeployment in Russia will cost USD 300 million.
?In case of absence of other sources of financing withdrawal, the Russian Finance Ministry is ready to allocate particular funds for this,? Russian news agency RIA Novosti reports quoting the Defense Minister.
The Russian Defense Minister also stressed that creation of a Russian-Georgian anti-terrorist center in exchange of the bases withdrawal, recently proposed by Tbilisi, can not be linked to determination of terms of the bases? pull out.
?Formation of the anti-terrorist center is an idea, nothing more. This is not and cannot be connected with determination of the terms of withdrawal. I have numerously repeated that until we do not create two new bases on the Russian territory, we cannot withdraw the bases from Georgia,? the Russian minister added.
Georgia wants Russia to pull out its bases within three years, while Russia insists on nine years.