Russia agreed to remove its Soviet-era military bases in 1999

He said both sides had agreed on a gradual pull-out but some outstanding issues needed to be resolved.

The announcement followed talks in Moscow with Georgian Foreign Minister Salome Zurabishvili.

The presence of Russian forces in the former Soviet state is a sensitive issue, and previous attempts to resolve it have failed.

"This withdrawal will go in stages," said Mr Lavrov, in comments broadcast on NTV Mir television. "It could start - if we conclude the relevant agreement - as early as this year.

"This concerns military hardware, this also concerns military facilities of the Russian Federation which do not belong to the Russian military bases."

Correspondents say this latest statement appears to signal a significant softening of Moscow's position.

Last month, Georgian MPs voted unanimously to outlaw Russia's military presence in the country unless Moscow withdrew its servicemen by 1 January 2006.

They threatened to declare the bases illegal and stop issuing entry visas to Russian troops if they failed to withdraw.