Georgia to withdraw troops from Kosovo, Azerbaijani troops return to Baku
The Georgian Defense Ministry said on Monday it has decided to withdraw by the end of the week its peacekeeping contingent stationed in Kosovo since October 1999, while Azerbaijani troops returned to Baku on Tuesday.
(KosovoCompromise Staff) Tuesday, April 15, 2008
"All 150 Georgian peacekeepers will leave Kosovo by the end of this week," the ministry said in a statement.
The ministry said the decision has already been coordinated with the command of the international peacekeeping forces in Kosovo.
Georgian First Deputy Defense Minister Batu Kuteliya said the decision to withdraw the peacekeepers was made in view of NATO's other international priorities.
"Currently NATO views Afghanistan as a more important area, and this is why we have reconsidered our priorities. We are currently holding consultations with the alliance, and it is possible that in the fall of this year the Georgian peacekeeping contingent will be sent to Afghanistan," Kuteliya said.
Azerbeijani, which like Georgia has a secessionist problem on its territory, also withdrew its troops from Kosovo.
These troops returned to Baku on Tuesday, said Lieutenant-Colonel Eldar Sabiroglu, Press Officer of the Defense Ministry.
He said the peacekeepers had been withdrawn from Kosovo according to the Parliament's March decision following Kosovo's unilateral secession.
Baku and Tbilissi do not recognize Kosovo's secession,
