RUSSIA MAY WITHDRAW ITS BASES FROM BATUMI AND AKHALKALAKI IN 2008

Agency WPS
DEFENSE and SECURITY (Russia)
May 20, 2005, Friday

Russian Foreign Ministry forwarded to Tbilisi new proposals concerning
the bases, last Friday. Sources in the parliament of Georgia claim that
Russia suggests the withdrawal from Akhalkalaki and Batumi within 3.5
years now, not 4 as before. Should the process be initiated this year,
it will be over in late 2008 at best. Until now, Tbilisi agreed to put
up with the Russian military until January 1, 2008. 2008 is the year
of parliamentary elections in Georgia. The authorities of Georgia
want to be able to tell their voters that there are no more bases
or at least there will be no more bases soon now. And that Moscow’s
clout is diminishing.

Vladimir Kuparadze, Second-in-Command of the Russian Army Group in
the Caucasus, said, “3.5 years are the minimum for the withdrawal
of personnel and military hardware. With luck, of course. Echelons
taking out ordnance are not supposed to include more than 8 boxcars,
and there are lots of ordnance in Batumi and Akhalkalaki. And so on…”

The base in Akhalkalaki is the first to be disbanded (all equipment
will be ferried by big landing ships), the one in Batumi the second.
Georgia believes that it will be easier for Russia to withdraw some
armed vehicles from Akhalkalaki to Armenia. The list of the military
hardware to be withdrawn includes 277 articles, 72 of them tanks and
140 artillery pieces.

Source: Vremya Novostei, May 17, 2005, p. 2

Translated by A. Ignatkin