Eurasia Press & News
Russia is continuing to frustrate the West over its pullout from Georgia, and is yet to respond to calls for an urgent summit planned for next week. France’s President Nicolas Sarkozy brokered the deal which ended the fighting, but Moscow’s delays have annoyed many governments. Critics are particularly alarmed by the sight of Russian troops digging in around Poti, Georgia’s busiest Black Sea port.
Thousands of Georgian refugees remain in temporary camps, unable or unwilling to go home while the uncertainty continues. The cost of rebuilding Georgia after the five-day war is put at more than a billion euros, and many of the refugees say they have no homes to return to.
Despite calling on Moscow to withdraw, the West lacks bargaining strength because of its dependence on Russian oil and gas.
