Russia, Georgia Discuss Technical Details of Base Pullout

A ten-member delegation from the Russian Federation led by Deputy Commander of Russian Land Forces Valery Yevnevich arrived in Tbilisi on April 10 to discuss technical details of the withdrawal of Russian military bases from Georgia.

Georgia and Russia signed an agreement on the timeframe and modalities of functioning and rules for the withdrawal of the Russian military bases from Georgia in Sochi on March 31.

According to the Georgian Defense Ministry, the Russian side will launch the withdrawal of its military hardware from the Akhalkalaki military base on May 15.

“Armaments and military equipment will be completely pulled out from the Akhalkalaki base by August 15. It includes more than 700 tanks and armored vehicles, also artillery systems and other heavy or light equipment. All the military equipment will be withdrawn from Akhalkalaki through the railway via Tsalka [Georgia] and Azerbaijan to the Russian Federation,” said Georgian Deputy Defense Minister Mamuka Kudava on April 10.