TRAIN WITH RUSSIA’S MIL EQUIPMENT LEAVES GEORGIA FOR ARMENIA
ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
August 16, 2007 Thursday 11:21 AM EST
A train with 34 units of automobile equipment and property of the 12th
Russian military base in Batumi was dispatched from Georgia to the
territory of the 102nd military base in Armenia on Thursday, ITAR-TASS
learnt at the Group of Russian Troops in the North Caucasus. The
total weight of the cargo is more than 200 tonnes.
According to a representative of the group, the train will cross the
Georgian-Armenian border on Thursday afternoon and continue its way
to the point of destination.
As the representative of the group said, in the current year, two
more trains and one motor convoy will take property and equipment
of the Batumi base to Gyumri, and one train – – to Russia through
Azerbaijan. In the period from May to late July, 11 trains already
took equipment and property of the base in Batumi to Russia.
In July, aide of the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Land Forces
Colonel Igor Konashenkov said that "Russia carries out its obligations
on the withdrawal of its military bases in Georgia in full and even
ahead of schedule." He recalled that in late June, the 62nd Russian
military base in the city of Akhalkalaki was transferred to Georgia,
although, according to the agreement, it was to be carried out
before October 1. Equipment and property of the base were delivered
to Russian and Armenia in 2005-2007.
As for the base in Batumi, according to the Georgian-Russian accords,
it will be closed down during 2008. The withdrawal of equipment and
property of the Batumi base also began in 2005.