Russian troops to remain in Georgia 'for a long time'
The Globe And Mail
Russia said Tuesday that it will station troops in two Georgian breakaway provinces for the foreseeable future, reaffirming its plans less than 24 hours after agreeing to pull forces from Georgian areas around Abkhazia and South Ossetia.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a Russian military presence was necessary to prevent Georgian attempts to regain control of the separatist regions.“Russian troops will remain on the territory of South Ossetia and Abkhazia on request of their leaders in parliament,” he said at a briefing. “They will remain there for a long time. Their presence there will be needed at least for the foreseeable future to prevent any relapses of aggressive actions.”