LAST TRAIN LOADED WITH RUSSIAN MILITARY EQUIPMENT LEFT GEORGIA

Prime News Agency, Georgia
Nov 15 2007

Tbilisi. November 15 (Prime-News) – The last train containing Russian
servicemen and property left the base in southern Georgia for Armenia.

Prime-News was told at the Ministry of Defense of Georgia that the
Russian echelon departed from Batumi late on Wednesday night.

An official document on handover of the 12th Russian Military
Base in Batumi to the Georgian Defense Ministry was signed at the
Headquarters of the Group of Russian Forces in Transcaucasia (GRFT)
in Batumi. The act of handover and acceptance of the Russian military
facility was signed by the Deputy Defense Minister Batu Kutelia from
the Georgian side and by the Commander of the Group of Russian Forces
in Transcaucasia Maj.-Gen. Andrei Popov from the Russian side.

"Agreement between the Russian Federation and Georgia on Terms and
Rules of Temporary Functioning and Withdrawal of the Russian Military
Bases and Other Military Facilities of the Group of Russian Military
Forces in South Caucasus Deployed on the Territory of Georgia" was
signed on March 31st, 2006 in Sochi. According to the Georgian-Russian
Agreement withdrawal process of the Russian Bases was to be completed
by the end of 2008, but according to a decision of the Russian side,
the last trainload of the Russian military equipment will leave the
territory of Georgia on November 15, 2007.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress