RUSSIA SAYS AKHALKALAKI BASE PULLOUT HINDERED, AS LOCALS PROTEST
Civil Georgia, Georgia
April 26 2006
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman Mikheil Kaminin said that the
process of launching the withdrawal on military hardware from the
Akhalkalaki military base, scheduled for April 26, has been dragged out
after local residents of this predominantly ethnic Armenian populated
town blocked the road on April 25 to protest against the base pullout.
“The command of the base requested the local military police to
ensure safe movement of military hardware. However, the Georgian
authorities refused to take any measures, citing that this does not
their responsibility,” Kaminin said.
He said that the locals protest against the military base
withdrawal, as they fear the process might trigger “deterioration of
social-economic conditions in the region.”
Kaminin also said that under the agreement signed by Tbilisi and Moscow
on March 31, the Georgian side undertook a commitment to ensure safe
pullout of bases, as well as safe transportation of military hardware
and personnel.
“We expect that the Georgian authorities will take relevant measures
in Akhalkalaki,” he added.