Russian authorities announce that their troops withdraw from Georgia

Russian authorities announced on Monday that their troops started to withdraw from Georgia, CNN informs. The announcement was initially made on Sunday by the Russian President Dmitri Medvedev in a phone conversation with his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy.

Russian President Dmitri Medvedev announced his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy that Russian troops would leave Georgia starting Monday, AFP informed. French authorities confirmed the telephone conversation between Medvedev and Sarkozy.

Russian commander Viaceslav Borisov previously declared that Russian troops in Georgia already started to withdraw but his declaration was contradicted by Georgians. Georgian Security Council secretary Alexandre Lomada declared that Russian troops were reinforcing their position and did not plan to leave Georgia.

Nonetheless, according to the peace agreement signed by both parties, Russians need to withdraw all forces from the Georgian territories. Russian peacekeeping troops will have to withdraw in South Ossetia and are allowed to check the perimeter until an international regulatory mechanism will be enforced in the region.