TBILISI, June 3 (RIA Novosti) - Russia completed the biannual rotation of its peacekeeping contingent in South Ossetia Saturday as a motorcade with 500 troops left Georgia's breakaway province after being replaced with fresh personnel.
"The rotation is over now, and the Russian peacekeeping contingent has been brought back in line with the set quota - 500 men per battalion," said Col. Rem Akimov, chief-of staff of the Joint Peacekeeping Force in the Georgian-Ossetian conflict zone.
He said the outgoing troops had seen no problem crossing the border. "The convoy has cleared through the customs, and is now heading toward a home base in the North Caucasus military command."
A 1,500-strong peacekeeping force comprised of Russian, Georgian and Ossetian servicemen has been patrolling South Ossetia since the region broke away from Georgia's central government in the early 1990s.
Tensions over the presence of Russian peacekeepers in the rebellious province increased this week as Georgia demanded that troops arriving on rotation should have entry visas.
Russia's Foreign Ministry dismissed the demand, saying Georgia had no control over South Ossetia, and stressed the region's right to self-determination.
Officials in Tbilisi have repeatedly accused Russian peacekeepers of undermining the Caucasus nation's territorial integrity by supporting separatists in the breakaway territory. Earlier this year, Georgia's parliament passed a resolution calling for Russian troops to withdraw.
