RUSSIAN COMMANDER SAYS HARDWARE TO BE MOVED TO NORTH CAUCASUS, ARMENIA

Interfax-AVN military news agency website, Moscow
31 Mar 06

Sochi, 31 March: The Russian forces will be withdrawn from
Georgia to the North Caucasus and Armenia, Col-Gen Aleksey Maslov,
the commander-in-chief of the Russian Ground Troops, told a news
conference in Sochi held on Friday [31March] after signing agreements
with Georgia on the withdrawal of forces.

“Most of the military hardware and personnel now stationed in Georgia
will in 2008 be withdrawn to the North Caucasus Military District,
while part of the equipment will be dispatched to arm the 102nd
Russian base in Gyumri, Armenia,” Maslov said.

According to him, the agreements will provide legal framework for
cooperation with Georgia in domains determined in the documents.

Georgian First Deputy Defence Minister Mamuka Kudava, who signed the
agreements on behalf and for Georgia, estimated the importance of
the documents as very high.

“We will stick to the provisions outlined in the papers and assist
the Russians in preparing and organizing the withdrawal,” he said.