ITAR-TASS News Agency, Russia
March 30, 2007 Friday
Russia to pull out military hardware from Akhalkalaki in May
The pullout of military hardware from the Russian base in Akhalkalaki
will resume on April 12 and end in late May, a representative of the
base command told Itar-Tass by phone on Friday.
Six convoys carrying military hardware and property will leave
Akhalkalaki for the Russian base in Gyumri, Armenia, in April-May,
and some military hardware and property will be transported to Russia
by railroad on May 17 and 24.
The pullout schedule has been coordinated with the Georgian Defense
Ministry.
According to the source, Russian servicemen will leave Akhalkalaki
and the base will be transferred to Georgia by July 1. All heavy
machinery and armaments were withdrawn from Georgia to Armenia and
Russia last year.
The pullout of military hardware and property from the Russian base
in Batumi, which started two years ago, will resume within a month
and end next year.
According to the Georgian-Russian agreements, the Batumi base will
close by October 1, 2008.