TRAIN WITH RUSSIAN HARDWARE BEING WITHDRAWN FROM GEORGIA ARRIVES IN ARMENIA
Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
May 25, 2006 Thursday 6:04 PM MSK
The train carrying property of the 12th Russian military base arrived
in Armenia from Georgia on Thursday, a spokesman for the headquarters
of the Russian military force in Transcaucasia told Interfax-Military
News Agency.
“Armenian customs officers have already cleared the cargoes, and the
train is heading for its destination, the town of Gyumri, where the
102nd Russian base is stationed,” the spokesman said.
The 12th Russian military base is being withdrawn from the Georgian
town of Batumi. The train carrying its property left Batumi overnight
to Thursday.
“The materiel pulled out of Batumi, namely the command post vehicle
and over 50 pieces of logistics support hardware, will be added to
the 102nd base inventory,” the spokesman said.
It is the first train with Russian materiel that has left the Batumi
base. According to the headquarters, the next train will leave Batumi
for Armenia on June 1. The entire materiel is being handed over to
the 102nd base.
Earlier reports said that two trains with military hardware,
munitions and other materiel of the 62nd military base stationed
in Akhalkalaki left Georgia for Russia on May 15 and 23. According
to the headquarters, a total of 19 trains are to leave for Russia
this year to carry materiel of the Russian military bases away from
Georgia. Six trains are to leave Batumi for Armenia.
The Russian military bases are being withdrawn from Georgia on the
basis of the bilateral agreement on their stationing conditions, terms
and order of withdrawal, signed in Sochi on March 31. The document
provides for pulling out the heavy hardware from the Akhalkalaki base
this year and withdrawing the entire base no later than December 31,
2007. The Batumi base is to be withdrawn in 2008.