Additional Train with Ammunition and Military Equipment Withdrawn from Russian 12th Military Base in Georgia

Azerbaijan, Baku / Trend corr E. Huseynov / A train with ammunition and military equipment left from the Russian 12th military base located in the Georgian City of Batumi on 5 July.

The train will go via Azerbaijan to Russia. This is the 8th train with military equipment withdrawn from Georgia to Russia since May. The train includes 27 open goods trucks, a carriage loaded with 39 communication armaments, as it was reported on 5 July from Azerbaijani Embassy in Georgia. Another train with military equipment will be withdrawn on 12 July.

The agreement between Azerbaijan and Russia on the transportation of property via Azerbaijan was signed last summer at the inter-governmental level. Fourteen trains loaded with property and equipment will be withdrawn from Georgia by the end of August. Most of them will be delivered to Russia. Five trains will go to Armenia to the 102nd Russian base in Gumri. According to the Russian Defence Ministry, in compliance with the agreement between Russia and Georgia, the 62nd Russian military base located in the city of Akhalkalaki is to be withdrawn by the end of 2007 and the second and the last 12th Russian military base located in the city of Batumi is to be withdrawn within 2008.

Transportation of the equipment via Azerbaijan enables Russia to simplify organization of the troop's withdrawal and to decrease the expenditure of the Russian Defence Ministry, General Vladimir Isakov, Russian Deputy Defence Minister, stated earlier.

Since Soviet times the 102nd Russian military base was located in Armenia. There are no Russian military bases in Azerbaijan.

The Russian-Georgian agreement on the terms and order of temporary functioning and withdrawal of Russian military bases and other military facilities of the Group of Russian Troops in Transcaucasia located in Georgia was signed on 31 March, 2006.