TBILISI, January 21 (RIA Novosti) - The Georgian Defense Ministry said Saturday that Moscow was to blame for the incident Friday at the Russian military base near the Black Sea port of Batumi.
Ministry spokesman Nana Intskirveli said Georgian servicemen had not been admitted to the Gonio firing range, which "had been fully transferred to the Georgian side".
She said the Georgian Defense Ministry allowed Russian servicemen to use the firing range temporarily to prepare for the pullout of Russian military hardware from the country.
However, Major General Andrei Popov, the commander of the Russian Group of Forces in the Caucasus, denied the Georgian Defense Ministry's accusations.
"Russian servicemen had never prevented Georgian servicemen from staying at this firing range," he said.
Popov said earlier that 25 military policemen seized a number of facilities at the Gonio firing range, "which is jointly used by Russian and Georgian servicemen".
Popov said Georgian Lieutenant Colonel Gocha Ninindze, who commanded the group, said he was fulfilling an order.
The incident was settled after the Russian commanders and the Russian Embassy in Georgia discussed the situation with Georgian authorities and the group left the facilities soon after midnight, he said.
"Any illegal actions against our servicemen and facilities in Georgia will be resolutely stopped," Popov said.
He said the withdrawal of Russian bases from Georgia began last year and that Russia had been complying with its obligations under the withdrawal terms.
"Unfortunately, such incidents complicate the pullout of Russian bases from Georgia," he said.
