Georgia irks Moscow with EU, NATO plans

MOSCOW, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Georgian parliamentary speaker Nino Burjanadze raised hackles in Moscow Tuesday, reaffirming Georgia's plans to join the European Union and NATO.

Speaking to students of the Moscow International Relations Institute, Burjanadze acknowledged Russian President Vladimir Putin was opposed to the former Soviet republic pursuing its own agenda, but insisted it was logical, Interfax reported.

"We have never made a secret of our plans to become a member of the European Union and NATO, since these organizations share the same values we do," Burjanadze said. "This meets the interests of Georgia, and Russia, as well, since Russia is interested in a stable Georgia."

She then went on to suggest Russia should remove its military bases from Georgia, the Novosti news agency said.

She said the bases do nothing to strengthen relations between Russia and Georgia, and instead, proposed removing the bases and cooperating in the creation of anti-terrorist centers in several parts of the country.

Relations between the two countries have been strained after the election of Mikhail Saakashvili, the western-educated leader who became Georgian president last winter.