More Russian military hardware pulled out of Georgian base, en route to
Armenia

AP Worldstream; Jun 08, 2006

A convoy of Russian military trucks and other hardware left a Soviet-era
base in Georgia en route to Armenia on Thursday, in the latest pullout of
Russian military equipment from the Caucasus Mountain nation.
After months of contentious negotiations, Georgia and Russia reached
agreement last year on pulling Russian forces out of two bases.
Thursday’s convoy of 40 vehicles and other material from the Black Sea port
of Batumi was headed to the Russian base at Gyumri, Armenia, said Col.
Vladimir Kuparadze, deputy commander of the Russian troops in the southern
Caucasus.
Another 15 vehicles from another base at Akhalkalaki will join the convoy en
route, he said.
Both bases are scheduled to be fully closed by the end of 2008, with much of
the equipment to be sent to Gyumri.
The agreement to withdraw Russian forces from Georgia was a victory for
pro-Western President Mikhail Saakashvili, who has sought to reduce Russian
influence.