Russia to move part of equipment from Georgia bases to Armenia

Xinhua, China
May 19 2005

2005-05-20 00:18:49

MOSCOW, May 19 (Xinhuanet) — Russia will move some of the equipment at
its military bases in Georgia to neighboring Armenia when it withdraws
the bases from the former Soviet republic, Chief of the Russian General
Staff Yury Baluyevsky said Thursday. The bases will be certainly
withdrawn to Russian territory, yet some of the military equipment and
property will be moved to Armenia, Baluyevsky said, adding the move
“will help us to reduce the withdrawal period to four years.”

“It is impossible to build the infrastructure for the military
equipment and property on Russian territory within four years,”
he said.

The withdrawal of Russian military bases in Georgia is a hot-button
issue that has soured relations between the two former Soviet
republics. Moscow has insisted it needs four years to complete the
withdrawal of the two bases while Tbilisi says it must be finished
before January 2008.

Tensions over the issue have been brought to new highs in recent weeks
with Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili boycotting Russia’s lavish
Victory Day celebrations in Moscow and US President George W.

Bush raising the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Russia is prepared for fresh talks with Tbilisi next week that will
focus on a plan envisaging the completion of the bases’ withdrawal
in 2008, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday, a day after a meeting
between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Georgian
counterpart, Salome Zourabichvili, produced no accord on the issue.

“Experts will soon discuss the time and rules for the withdrawal,
as well as mutual commitments, which will be the core of the
Russian-Georgian accord on military bases,” Baluyevsky said. The
Finance Ministry would not provide funding for the pullout if the
two sides have not legally finalized the withdrawal plan, Baluyevsky
added. Enditem