Visiting speaker says ferryboat link to diversify Russo-Armenian ties
Arminfo
15 Dec 04
YEREVAN
The Kavkaz-Poti ferryboat link will be launched in late January 2005,
which will help diversify the transport corridors between Armenia and
Russia, the speaker of the Russian State Duma, Boris Gryzlov, who is
paying an official visit to Armenia, told a news conference in Yerevan
today.
He said the issue of opening the Abkhaz section of the railway would
most likely be resolved in 2005.
“Russia has done a lot to restore the practically destroyed section of
the Sochi-Sukhumi railway and we have to continue our efforts to open
the entire Abkhaz section of the railway,” Gryzlov said.
The speaker of the Russian State Duma added that as a result of the
opening of the communication links the volume of trade between Russia
and Armenia would significantly increase. He also pointed to the
currently low level of trade relations, which stood only at 170m
dollars as of December.
Speaking about the five Armenian enterprises handed over to Russia as
part of Armenia’s 100m-dollar debt to Russia, Boris Gryzlov said the
only problem in that deal was the fact that the Mars [radio
electronic] plant was still idle. And that was a mistake on the part
of Russia. However, the speaker said that next year’s Russian state
budget contained a special entry which envisaged the allocation of
resources to make this enterprise operational.
“The other four enterprises handed over to Russia work normally,” he
said.
Gryzlov stressed that Russian-Armenian relations were at a high level
now.
“I can say that Russia and Armenia are friendly neighbours despite the
absence of a common border. Today Russia is home to 2m Armenians,” he
said. He added that both countries advocate a single position on many
issues discussed in international organizations where the Russian and
Armenian parliamentarians are cooperating with each other, which is
further proof of friendship between the two peoples.