SOCIAL PROGRAM PLANNED AFTER BASE PULLOUT FROM AKHALKALAKI

Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 13 2006

Georgian Parliamentary Chair Nino Burjanadze said on April 13
that the authorities have a plan to employ the local population
of the predominately Armenian-populated town of Akhalkalaki, in
Samtskhe-Javakheti, which will be implemented simultaneously with
the withdrawal of Russian military base from there.

“The authorities have a precise plan about what to do to employ
the local residents currently working at the military base [in
Akhalkalaki]… The government is discussing concrete proposals,
according to which food processing enterprises will be opened in
Akhalkalaki that will create new jobs,” Burjanadze said at the April
13 parliamentary session dedicated to discussion on the March 31
Russian-Georgian agreement on the withdrawal of Russian military bases.

According to the agreement, the Akhalkalaki military base should be
pulled out before December 31, 2007.

“Although certain forces tried to use the local population to express
protest against the pullout of bases, the majority of the [Akhalkalaki]
population met Georgia’s national interests with understanding,”
Burjanadze said on April 13.