BAKU AND MOSCOW AGREE ON ISSUE OF CARRYING RUSSIAN MILITARY MACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT FROM GEORGIA VIA AZERBAIJAN TERRITORY
Author: E. Husseynov
TREND Information, Azerbaijan
Nov 14 2006
Baku and Moscow have reached a preliminary agreement on carrying
additional Russian military machinery and equipment from Georgia
via the territory of Azerbaijan, a source in Azerbaijan’s Embassy to
Georgia informed Trend.
Notably, in the beginning of November, Gen. Alexander Baranov,
Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Caucasian Military Okrug (Region)
of the Russian Forces, stated that the units of the Russian Army would
be withdrawn from Georgia by the end of this year, though previously
they were expected to be withdrawn only by the end of 2008. All
the military sub-units, headquarters, machinery, and equipment are
expected to leave the Georgia territory for the Russian and Armenian
territory by the end of the year. In order to re-deploy the forces,
military machinery, equipment, and ammunition, four special trains
have been ordered. Two of them will head for Russia, the other two
will be sent to Armenia, to the Russian territory Military Base 102.
According to the Embassy in Tbilisi, the Azerbaijani party gave its
consent to withdraw the Russian military machinery and equipment via
Azerbaijan. At present, the exact date when the military machinery
and equipment to be withdrawn from the Headquarters of the Group of
Russian Forces located in Tbilisi is under consideration. All the
machinery and equipment is expected to be withdrawn from Georgia by
the end of this year.