Abstract
Since Georgian independence in 1992, Russia's continuing military presence has been an irritant in bilateral relations. Under a 1995 agreement, Russia was allowed to retain four bases, at Vaziani (near Tbilisi); Gudauta (in the breakaway republic of Abkhazia); Batumi (in the Ajarian Autonomous Republic); and Akhalkalaki (in South Georgia's Armenian-populated Samtskhe-Javakheti region, near the border with Turkey). However, the agreement was never ratified by the Georgian parliament. Although the bases have relatively little military value, Moscow has regarded them as a source of leverage over Tbilisi. They have a major bearing on Tbilisi's relations with the regions in which the bases are located.
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