RIA Novosti, Russia
July 5 2007

Second Russian military convoy leaves Batumi base in Georgia
16:12 | 05/ 07/ 2007

TBILISI, July 5 (RIA Novosti) – Twenty-eight rail carriages carrying
military equipment from the second Russian military base in Georgia
left the city of Batumi by railroad heading for Russia, the Georgian
Defense Ministry said Thursday.

The convoy containing mainly radio and communications equipment
departed for Russia at 1.20 a.m. local time (9.20 p.m. Wednesday
GMT), the hardware will travel through Azerbaijan, because there is
no direct rail link between Russia and Georgia.

This is the second convoy to leave from Batumi for Russia. The first
military cargo was transferred June 28 from Batumi to Gyumri in
neighboring Armenia, where Russia retains its Military Base 102. The
next train is expected to leave Batumi on July 12.

The pullout is part of Russia’s commitment made at the 1999 OSCE
summit in Istanbul where Moscow promised to withdraw from its two
military bases in Georgia by the end of 2008.

One of the bases, in Akhalkalaki, southeast of Georgia, was vacated
late last month.