Russia's withdrawal of all its forces from Georgia will be completed on Friday, Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov has announced.

"As per the order of the supreme head of the armed forces, on Friday August 22 at 6:00 am local time (0200 GMT), all Russian forces will begin their withdrawal from Georgian territory to South Ossetia," Serdyukov, quoted by the Interfax news .

The west has been critical of slow Russian withdrawal from Georgian territories, however, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has reiterated Moscow's stance of sticking to a peace plan in Georgia, and he rejects all claims of Russia dragging its foot with its troops.

On Tuesday August 12, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev agreed to the French-proposed peace plan that included six principles for ending the Russian-Georgian conflict, including a definitive end to use of force by Tbilisi against Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

Russia launched a military intervention against Georgia on August 8 after Georgian troops attacked the separatists in South Ossetia.

Moscow has accused Tbilisi of the genocide of ethnic Ossetians, while Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili claims that Russia has carried out a full-blown invasion.

SG/HAR