ACCORDS ON WITHDRAWING MILITARY BASES FROM GEORGIA TO BE RATIFIED
by Lyudmila Yermakova

ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
October 10, 2006 Tuesday 08:42 AM EST

The Federation Council Committee for CIS Affairs recommended on
Tuesday that the upper chamber should ratify the Russian-Georgian
agreement on periods, order of temporary functioning and a withdrawal
of military bases and other military facilities, located in the
Georgian territory. The Federation Council will debate this item at
its plenary session on Friday.

Deputy chief of the Russian General Staff Alexander Skvortsov,
acting as the Russian president’s official representative at the
examination of this question, emphasized that the budget for this
year and the Russian budgets for 2007 and 2008 provide for adequate
funds to implement these agreements. Some expenses will be also taken
from funds, appropriated for the upkeep of the Russian Armed Forces.

It is planned that a withdrawal of military hardware from the military
base in Akhalkalaki will be carried out by the year-end. The final
withdrawal of the military base in Batumi as well as the headquarters
of the Group of Russian Troops in Transcaucasia is provided for during
2008. The agreement was signed in Sochi on March 31, 2006.

Calling on senators to ratify the agreement, Colonel-General Skvortsov
noted that "non-ratification of the agreement can give a pretext to
the Georgian leadership to pump up the situation and to launch new
provocative actions". He also stressed that the document "does not
contain provisions, running counter to Russian legislation".

The deputy chief of the General Staff also called attention to
a rule that protection of social interests of servicemen would be
undeviatingly observed during a withdrawal. For instance the question
is being settled on providing them with housing. Housing is already
turned over for occupancy to families of servicemen who are already
leaving Georgia. In 2007, they will receive another 250 apartments.

The committee also recommended ratification of an Agreement on
organizing transit of military cargoes and personnel across the
Georgian territory. Based on international norms, the document
regulates questions of transit by various types of transport of
military cargoes and personnel to ensure operation of the 102nd
Russian military bases in Armenia, in the city of Gyumri.