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  • Batumi, Akhalkalaki Residents Against Russian Military Bases Closure

    BATUMI, AKHALKALAKI RESIDENTS AGAINST RUSSIAN MILITARY BASES CLOSURE

    2005-03-31

    TBILISI, March 31 (RIA Novosti) - On Thursday actions of protest were
    held in the cities of Batumi (Adzharia) and Akhalkalaki (on the
    Georgian-Armenian border) against Georgia's demand to withdraw the
    Russian military bases from them.

    The press center of the Supreme Council of the Adzharian autonomy
    reports: up to 300 protesters from the Georgian People's Patriotic
    Front staged in Batumi a procession with posters demanding an end to
    the anti-Russian policy.

    "The peoples of Georgia and Russia are brothers forever. Nobody can
    stand in the way of their friendship. The Georgian leaders should stop
    campaigning for the bases' withdrawal," chairman of the Georgian
    People's Patriotic Front Zurab Gotsiridze told RIA Novosti on the
    phone.

    A similar action took place in the Samtskhe-Dzhavakhetia region and
    Akhalkalaki. Local Armenians (about 400) gathered outside the House of
    Culture demanding that the Russian bases' withdrawal campaign be
    stopped, journalists were told at the regional governor's
    administration.

    Presently, two Russian bases - in Batumi and Akhalkalaki - are
    remaining in the Georgian territory. In addition, the Russian group of
    troops in Transcaucasia is headquartered in Tbilisi. The strength of
    the Russian group in Georgia is about 3,000.

    Georgia and Russia are holding intensive talks on the bases'
    withdrawal. In the beginning of March, Georgian parliamentarians
    passed the resolution On the Russian Military Bases in the Territory
    of Georgia, which reads, "The military bases of the Russian Federation
    are to be withdrawn from Georgia. Such is the will of the government
    and the people of Georgia."

    This resolution sets the deadline for coming to an agreement - before
    May 15, 2005. If no agreement is reached before May 15, the government
    of Georgia is to take tough sanctions with regard to the activities of
    Russian servicemen in Georgia, the resolution insists
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