TRAIN WITH MILITARY HARDWARE TO CROSS AZERBAIJAN WITHOUT STOPS
by Viktor Shulman
ITAR-TASS News Agency
May 15, 2006 Monday 10:38 AM EST
Azerbaijan will give the green light to the first train with military
hardware and munitions from the Russian military base in Akhalkalaki,
southern Georgia, heading for Russia, Azerbaijani First Deputy
Transport Minister Musa Panakhov told Itar-Tass on Monday.
The train is expected to reach the Georgian-Azerbaijani border at
19:00 Moscow time and after the customs clearance procedures will
continue towards its destination.
“The train will run across Azerbaijan without stops. It will be
accompanied by special services to the Russian border,” he said.
“It will reach the Azerbaijani-Russian border at 16:30 Moscow time
on May 16, as expected.”
“The Russian Defence Ministry’s military are accompanying the
train en route,” a source at the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan told
Itar-Tass. “The trainload will be checked in compliance with the
protocol signed earlier. All containers are sealed.”
A group of Georgian military will escort the train to the Azerbaijani
border.
The train left Tsalka, 50 kilometers away from Akhalkalaki, southern
Georgia, earlier in the day. The Georgian Railways-owned 19-carriage
train will bring to Russia seven T-72 tanks, eight reconnaissance
vehicles, four infantry combat vehicles, four communication vans and
340 boxes with rockets for GRAD launchers.
Under the agreements reached between Russia and Georgia, the withdrawal
of Russian bases from Akhalkalaki should be completed in 2007.
This year, 19 trainloads are expected to bring back to Russia all
hardware. The departures of other trains are scheduled for May 23,
25 and 30.
Part of the hardware and munitions will be redeployed to the Russian
base of Gyumri, in Armenia. The first truck convoy will leave for
Gyumri on May 18.
When all personnel, munitions and material supplies have been pulled
out of Akhalkalaki by late 2007, the base will be closed.