Azerbaijan says Russian weapons transfer to Armenia not a tragedy
By Tengiz Pachkoria

ITAR-TASS News Agency
June 3, 2005 Friday

TBILISI, June 3 — Azerbaijani Prime Minister Artur Rasi-zade said
Friday the Azerbaijani government did not perceive Russia’s transfer
to Armenia of the weapons and equipment from bases in Georgia as a
tragedy of any kind.

“This is an internal prerogative of Russia and Armenia, but we’ll
naturally make conclusions for our own policy, and they’ll be made
shortly,” Rasi-zade said.

Azerbaijani officials said in May they were discontent with proposals
to pull out a part of weaponry and equipment from Russian bases in
Batumi and Akhalkalaki, Georgia, to the Armenian territory.

Russian government took that decision as the two bases are to be
closed in line with a Russian-Georgian agreement.

At the end of May, an echelon of 15 coaches transported military
hardware from Batumi to a Russian base in Gumri, Armenia.