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Russian Foreign Ministry on Saturday demanded Georgia to disarm the Chechen rebels believed to be based in Georgia's lawless Pankisi Gorge and to hand them over to the Russian side.
Chechen illegal militants in recent days have been launching cross-border attacks in Chechnya from the Pankisi Gorge and pose a direct threat to Russia's security, said the ministry in a statement.
The statement urged Georgia to conduct effective cooperation with Russia in cracking down on international terrorism and in seeking a resolution to the Pankisi issue.
Georgian President Eduard Shevardnadze vowed Thursday that a police operation will clean the Pankisi Gorge of criminals and militants.
The statement said Moscow welcomed the promise in principle and disagreed with Georgia's tactic of "peacefully pushing terrorists out."
"The terrorists must be blocked, disarmed and handed over to the Russian side," the statement said. "Russia is prepared to give Georgia all the necessary cooperation it needs in solving this problem."
Because the issue involves threats to Russian security, Russia has the right to expect that Georgia will coordinate and consult with Moscow on its actions in the area, the ministry said.
(Xinhua News Agency August 25, 2002)
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