Civil Georgia, Georgia
Feb 24 2005

Chief of Russian Railway Calls for Restoration of Link via Abkhazia

Chief of the state-run Russian Railway Company Genadi Fadeev said
on February 24 that restoration of the railway link through Georgia’s
breakaway republic of Abkhazia `will be the key for resolving
problems in the Caucasus,’ RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The railway link via Abkhazia has been defunct for the past eleven
years, after the armed conflict in the region ended. However, Russia
unilaterally restored rail traffic between Moscow and the Abkhaz
capital of Sokhumi in 2004.

Genadi Fadeev said that the current situation with the railway
communication is absolutely acceptable for Abkhazia. `[Rail] traffic
is organized there,’ he added.

He also said that involved parties should launch talks in order to
restore the railway connection between Russia and Georgia via
Abkhazia, which will also be beneficial for Armenia.