Vladimir Kuparadze said the handover of the Gonio firing range, which had belonged to the 12th Russian military base in Batumi, Adzharia (an autonomous area within Georgia), to the Georgian Defense Ministry was almost complete.
"We have signed all the documents that are now in the Georgian Defense Ministry. We are currently formalizing and considering our proposals, particularly concerning the allocation of a part of the Gonio firing range for heavy military hardware that will be transported later from the base in Batumi to the port for shipping," Kuparadze said.
Russia also handed over a data relay center to the Georgian Defense Ministry but asked them to keep the communication lines open until the withdrawal had been completed.
The Russian and Georgian foreign ministries signed an agreement on May 30, 2005 stating that Russia must withdraw its Batumi and Akhalkalaki military bases before the end of 2008.
