1st train with arms from Russian base in Georgia to go on May 15

Russian weapons will be loaded on May 13-14, and the train will go to Russia via Azerbaijan on May 15, a source in the Russian troops in the Transcaucasia told Itar-Tass on Thursday.

The next trains with military hardware from the Russian military base will go to Russia on May 23, 25 and 30. "Trucks will bring some military hardware and armaments from the base in Akhalkalaki to the Russian base in Gyumri (Armenia)." The first convoy of trucks will go to Armenia on May 18.

"A field camp and a temporary parking lot were deployed to form the first train near the station yard in the district center of Tsalka, 50 kilometers of Akhalkalaki, last week," the source said. The armaments and military hardware that will be supplied by the first train have already been brought from Akhalkalaki to Tsalka.

Under the bilateral agreements the withdrawal of the Russian military base from Akhalkalaki will end in 2007.