TRAIN WITH RUSSIA MILITARY BASE EQUIPMENT TO DEPART FROM GEORGIA

ITAR-TASS News Agency
August 1, 2007 Wednesday 05:30 PM EST
Russia

Another train with military equipment of the 12th Russian base in
Batumi will depart from Georgia for Russia on Thursday, acting head
of the information and public relations service of the Russian Ground
Troops Colonel German Zhitenev told Itar-Tass.

"The military train will transport to Russia two tanks, two armoured
vehicles and armoured vehicle support material of the 12th Russian
base. The total weight of the cargo will be over 500 tonnes,"
Zhitenev said.

According to the official, the dispatch of the next 15th military
train with property of the 12th base is planned for the first half of
August. "It is planned to dispatch another five trains and one convoy
with the Batumi base property from Georgia to Russia and to the 102nd
Russian base in Gyumri (Armenia) before the end of the current year,"
he said.

"Russia is totally and even ahead of schedule fulfilling assumed
obligations on the withdrawal of its military bases from Georgia,"
the official stressed. "In late June, the 62nd base in Akhalkalaki
was handed over to the Georgian Defence Ministry, although under
an agreement between Moscow and Tbilisi it had been planned that it
would be handed over before October 1," he noted.

Under this agreement, the Batumi base should be closed during 2008.