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Turkish leader: Turkey won't sway Russia's decision on military base

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  • Turkish leader: Turkey won't sway Russia's decision on military base

    Turkish leader: Turkey won't sway Russia's decision on military base transfer
    19:09

    RIA Novosti, Russia
    June 30 2005

    Baku, June 30 (RIA Novosti, Gerai Dadashev) - Turkey will not try
    to sway Russia's decision on the transfer of its military bases from
    Georgia to Armenia, the Turkish Prime Minister said.

    Recep Tayyip Erdogan told a press conference here Thursday that it
    was up to Russia to decide whether its bases should be re-deployed
    and that Turkey could only be a passive onlooker in this situation.

    A week ago, Azeri President Ilham Aliyev announced plans to increase
    national defense spending to $300 million, almost double last year's
    $175 million. He said the decision had been prompted, among other
    things, by Russia's planned transfer of its military bases from
    Georgia to the neighboring Armenia.

    Earlier, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov said that only part
    of the weaponry and hardware would be moved in, in order to comply
    with the Conventional Forces in Europe (CFE) Treaty. Russia will not
    hand any of its weapons over to Armenia, he said.

    On May 30, Russia and Georgia agreed that Russia's two bases pull out
    by 2008. The withdrawal of military hardware from the Akhalkalaki
    base near the Georgian-Armenian border is scheduled for 2006 and
    the facility's closure is due the following year. The Batumi base,
    on the Black Sea coast, will go in 2008.
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