Russia Withdraws Troops Near Georgia's Breakaway Regions


Russia has started closing military observation posts in buffer zones near Georgia's breakaway regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
Georgian authorities and local residents of Ganmukhuri, a village which borders the breakaway province of Abkhazia, celebrated the withdrawal of Russian troops from nearby positions.

One villager said it was a happy day for him.

"It all happened so unexpectedly. We all are very happy, I cannot even describe the emotion. Thanks to everyone."

In a new-reached agreement between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy, Russia promised to pull out its troops from the buffer zone, but not from the two regions.

In addition, some two hundred monitors from the European Union will be deployed in Georgia according to the deal forged between Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and the EU.

The deal obliges Russia to pull out of those regions in ten days following the deployment of the monitors.