Russian Military Vehicles Withdraw From Georgia To Armenia

RUSSIAN MILITARY VEHICLES WITHDRAW FROM GEORGIA TO ARMENIA

Agence France Presse — English
May 25, 2006 Thursday 7:44 AM GMT

Russia has transferred a batch of military equipment to its base
in Armenia from neighbouring Georgia as part of a planned troop
withdrawal, a senior officer said.

“A first column arrived at Gyumri, home to the 102nd Russian Base.

There will be many more columns,” said the head of the Armenian
military’s general staff, Mikael Arutiunian, on Wednesday.

The equipment being transferred from Russia’s Akhalkalaki base in
southern Georgia consists mainly of communications equipment and
non-armoured vehicles, he said.

“Under the terms of an agreement with the Russian side, tanks and
other armoured vehicles will not be transferred to Armenia. They will
be sent to Russia,” Arutiunian said.

Under a May 2005 agreement, Russia is to complete the closure of two
military bases in Georgia by the end of 2008. Withdrawals of tanks
and other heavy weapons are ongoing, with trainloads of materiel
heading through Azerbaijan and across the border into Russia.

Armenia maintains close military and economic links with Russia.