Russia Resumed Withdrawal of Materiel from Georgia

PanARMENIAN.Net - Russia resumes withdrawal of heavy armament and military equipment from the 62nd military base in Akhalkalaki Monday, reported Deputy Commander of the Group of Russian Troops in Transcaucasia (GRTT), Colonel Vladimir Kuparadze. The first echelon with armored equipment from the base will be sent to Russia. "The first one left Tsalka railway station at 10:00 a.m.," reported assistant of the Commander-in-Chief of Land Troops, Colonel Igor Konashenkov. It will take twenty T-72 tanks and combat reconnaissance patrol machines to RF. 19 echelons on the whole are planned to depart from Tsalka. From May to September these will take 350 units of heavy and special military equipment, as well as ammunition for it."



He specified that the first echelon will not transport any arms or equipment to the 102nd Russian military base in Gyumri, Armenia. "Part of military equipment and arms will be transported to Armenia by car, the first motorcade will head for Armenia May 18," Kuparadze explained. In his words, the entire armament will be fully withdrawn from the Akhalkalaki base before the end of 2006. "As of the personnel, light shooting arms, as well as the entire movables, owned by Russia, these will be withdrawn from Akhalkalaki before the end of 2007, after which the base will be closed," Kuparadze said, reports Newsru.com.