The Messenger, Georgia
25 Oct. 2004

Armenian president calls for Abkhaz railway

Presidents discuss economic and political cooperation; survive weapons
scare at local disco
By Anna Arzanova

Armenia President Robert Kocharian

The possibility of renewed rail links between Russia and Armenia,
passing through Abkhazia and Georgia, was the main issue on the agenda
when Armenian President Robert Kocharian met with Georgian President
Mikheil Saakashvili on Friday.

Kocharian arrived in Georgia on September 22 for a three day visit, and
was met by Saakashvili, who traveled to the Georgian-Armenian border
to escort him back to Tbilisi in a move which mirrored Saakashvili’s
reception by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliev during his visit
to Baku.

The Armenian president was accompanied by 29 businessmen, who came to
discuss the privatization of Poti Port, the energy sector, and the
trucks held up at the Russian-Georgian border at Larsi checkpoint,
which was closed by Russia on September 3.

Signs of strong relations included their private meeting on Friday,
during which Presidents Kocharian and Saakashvili met for an hour
and 15 minutes instead of the planned 45.

In their briefing afterwards, the presidents said they had discussed
many issues, including energy matter, economic relations, police,
smuggling, transport and Javakheti, the Georgian region which is
populated predominantly by Armenians.

Kocharian said that the most important issue of discussion was the
renewal of the railway through Abkhazia that would link Armenia with
Russia. The Armenian president went on to say, however, that this
issue could be resolved only by Georgia.

Nevertheless, he stated that renewed rail links would benefit
everybody. “More frequent railway movement is better for all of us. The
absence of railway communications is not favorable for either Armenians
or Georgians. I think that a pragmatic approach to this issue would be
very useful, although I understand that it is a very difficult issue,
and Georgia has to decide what to do,” the Armenian president said.

At the joint briefing to journalists, however, Saakashvili chose not
to comment on the issue

Instead, Saakashvili spoke of regional cooperation, and particularly,
on the back of his recent visit to Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia,
of the proposed 3-3 agreement, envisaging co-operation between the
three South Caucasus countries and the three Baltic countries.

“The Baltic countries could push for this idea to take shape as part
of the [EU] new neighbors policy. We are ready to cooperate with them,”
said Kocharian.

On Saturday, Saakashvili and Kocharian, together with high-ranking
officials, attended events held on Shardeni Street in connection with
Tbilisoba. Saakashvili invited his counterpart to Rike and showed
him 60 buses sent to Tbilisi by the Dutch government as a gift.

During the day, Kocharian met with Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, who
praised the Armenian president. “I want to say that Kocharian always
pays great attention to eliminate even small defects in relations
with Georgia,” Zhvania told reporters, adding that they talked about
importing electricity from Armenia, which is an important issue
for Georgia.

Kocharian also met with Speaker of Parliament Nino Burjanadze, and
said afterwards that close cooperation between the parliaments is
one of the main components of bilateral relations. He agreed with
Burjanadze upon the necessity of more active relations.

“We agreed to make more active the relations between our parliaments
and I will also tell the Speaker of the Armenian parliament of an
invitation to visit Georgia with a delegation. We have already had
the experience of cooperation and now we have only to refresh them,”
he told journalists in the Parliament after the meeting.

Burjanadze welcomed the idea of bilateral cooperation of the two
parliaments, saying that “this is in the interests of the both
countries and the region on the whole.”

Kocharian also met with Georgian Patriarch Ilia II, as well as visited
Heroes Square where he laid a wreath on the memorial to soldiers who
died fighting to preserve Georgia’s territorial integrity.

Later, Saakashvili and Kocharian expressed their condolence to the
former president of Georgia Eduard Shevardnadze in connection with
the death of his wife. They paid their respects by going to the
presidential Krtsanisi residence late at night.

Afterwards, Kocharian and Saakashvili visited the Adjara Music Hall,
where a show was being held in honor of the Armenian president. The
event was marred, however, by the need for law-enforcement agents,
led by Minister of Security Vano Merabishvili, to attend following
the discovery of weapons in the building.

It remains unknown whether the weapons were part of a plot to
assassinate the presidents, or indeed why they were in the music venue.
The investigation continues.

The two presidents spent that night at the presidential residence in
Likani, near Borjomi.

On the third and last day of the official visit, Kocharian met with
the Armenian Diaspora in Georgia in the Marriott Hotel, where he
heard complaints regarding unemployment. Though, Kocharian himself
was pleased with the meeting and stated that there is an improvement
in the economic development in the Armenian Diaspora and promised to
do his best this process to become more evident.

According to the MP and representative of the Armenian Diaspora in
Georgia Van Baiburti, Kocharian is very satisfied with this visit
and is sure that the Georgian-Armenian relation are moving to another
stage, and first of all in economic relations.

Also on Sunday, Minister of Internal Affairs of Armenia Haik Arutiunyan
with the Minister of Internal Affairs Irakli Okruashvili signed an
agreement regarding the creation of the joint board. According to the
agreement, each side will have 9 members in this board and will closely
cooperate in eradication of trafficking, drugs and stolen cars. The
first session of the board is planned to be held on December 20.

“This board will have to meet once every two-three months in order
to develop this idea,” stated Okruashvili at the briefing, after the
signing of the agreement. President Kocharian returned to Armenia
Sunday afternoon.
From: Baghdasarian