Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the Defense Ministry to go ahead with the withdrawal of Russian troops from bases on Georgian territory in compliance with the action plan, the president's press secretary Alexei Gromov said on Sunday.

Russia had temporarily suspended its planned withdrawal of troops from the South Caucasus on Saturday amid a growing row over Georgian authorities' detention of four Russian military officers.

Russia inherited four military bases in Georgia from the former Soviet Union and has withdrawn two of them.

Russia and Georgia signed an agreement in late March that set out the deadline and details of the pullout of Russian military bases from Georgia. Under the accord, the two sides agreed to complete the phased withdrawal of the Russian bases and other military installations in Georgia by the end of 2008.

Georgian security forces detained five Russian officers on Wednesday, which triggered strong protest from Moscow.

The Georgian Interior Ministry confirmed the release of a Russian serviceman earlier on Friday and the City court of the Georgian capital Tbilisi ordered keeping the other four accused in custody for two months on charges of espionage.

Russian ambassador to Georgia Vyacheslav Kovalenko was recalled on Thursday and went back to Moscow with Russian personnel from the country on Friday.

(Xinhua News Agency October 2, 2006)