RUSSIA CONTINUING WITHDRAWAL OF BASES FROM GEORGIA

Interfax News Agency
Russia & CIS Military Newswire
June 14, 2006 Wednesday 10:16 AM MSK

Akhalkalaki

Fourteen vehicles carrying 78 tonnes of ammunition left the 62nd
Russian military base located in Georgia’s Akhalkalaki for Armenia,
the base’s headquarters told Interfax.

"A convoy of 14 vehicles left the base for the Armenian community
of Gyumri today to supply the 102nd Russian military base stationed
there. The convoy is at the border with Armenia now," a headquarters
source said.

On Tuesday, three Kamaz trucks carrying 28 tonnes of ammunition also
left Akhalkalaki for Gyumri, he said.

"Another convoy of 15 vehicles will follow the same route tomorrow,"
he said.

Preparations for dispatching one more train carrying military materiel
from Akhalkalaki to Russia are underway, the source said.

"The train should leave on June 20. It will pass through Azerbaijan’s
territory," he said.

A total of eight trains have withdrawn military materiel from the two
Russian bases in Georgia in 2006. Five of them delivered military
equipment from the 62nd base in Akhalkalaki back to Russia and the
other three from Batumi to Armenia.

The Russian military bases are supposed to be completely withdrawn
from Georgia by the end of 2008.