Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Train With Military Hardware To Cross Azerbaijan Without Stops

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Train With Military Hardware To Cross Azerbaijan Without Stops

    TRAIN WITH MILITARY HARDWARE TO CROSS AZERBAIJAN WITHOUT STOPS
    by Viktor Shulman

    ITAR-TASS News Agency
    May 15, 2006 Monday 10:38 AM EST

    Azerbaijan will give the green light to the first train with military
    hardware and munitions from the Russian military base in Akhalkalaki,
    southern Georgia, heading for Russia, Azerbaijani First Deputy
    Transport Minister Musa Panakhov told Itar-Tass on Monday.

    The train is expected to reach the Georgian-Azerbaijani border at
    19:00 Moscow time and after the customs clearance procedures will
    continue towards its destination.

    "The train will run across Azerbaijan without stops. It will be
    accompanied by special services to the Russian border," he said.

    "It will reach the Azerbaijani-Russian border at 16:30 Moscow time
    on May 16, as expected."

    "The Russian Defence Ministry's military are accompanying the
    train en route," a source at the Russian Embassy in Azerbaijan told
    Itar-Tass. "The trainload will be checked in compliance with the
    protocol signed earlier. All containers are sealed."

    A group of Georgian military will escort the train to the Azerbaijani
    border.

    The train left Tsalka, 50 kilometers away from Akhalkalaki, southern
    Georgia, earlier in the day. The Georgian Railways-owned 19-carriage
    train will bring to Russia seven T-72 tanks, eight reconnaissance
    vehicles, four infantry combat vehicles, four communication vans and
    340 boxes with rockets for GRAD launchers.

    Under the agreements reached between Russia and Georgia, the withdrawal
    of Russian bases from Akhalkalaki should be completed in 2007.

    This year, 19 trainloads are expected to bring back to Russia all
    hardware. The departures of other trains are scheduled for May 23,
    25 and 30.

    Part of the hardware and munitions will be redeployed to the Russian
    base of Gyumri, in Armenia. The first truck convoy will leave for
    Gyumri on May 18.

    When all personnel, munitions and material supplies have been pulled
    out of Akhalkalaki by late 2007, the base will be closed.
Working...
X