Residents of Akhalkalaki, the center of the Armenian-inhabited Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia, the way for an armed communication vehicle belonging to the 62nd Russian base and demand its return to the base. "This signifies the start of withdrawal of the military base from Javakhetia, since the communication vehicle will secure the withdrawal of heavy defense technology," a source that preferred to remain anonymous said. According to it, the Armenian population is against the withdrawal of the Russian military, since a great number of questions have not been settled yet, specifically the problem of security of Armenians and creation of work places for them. It should be noted that many families lived at the expense of the economic infrastructure formed thanks to the presence of the Russian military in the region.

The Javakheti Armenians demand the Russian and Georgian authorities to explain why the local inhabitants were not engaged in the negotiation process on the withdrawal of the Russian military base. "The Georgian leadership have kept everything in secret so far. They do not say who will replace the Russian military and this arouses the indignation of the Javakheti residents," the source said, reported IA Regnum.