ARMENIA TO TAKE PART IN RESTORATION OF RAILWAY THROUGH ABKHAZIA

Pan Armenian News
16.06.2005 04:37

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The route of the rail communication between
Russia and Georgia through the Abkhazian segment is promising in
many respects, “however, now there are more questions than answers
toward the its launching,” Russian Railways Public Corporation head
Gennadi Fadeev, who was participating in the meeting of the CIS
Council on Rail Transport, told journalists, reported Regnum news
agency. Specifically, he noted the financial aspect of the issue,
pointing out the restoration of the Abkhazian segment of the railway
“will cost 2.5 billion rubbles or some $100 million.” Fadeev supposes
that in case the Abkhazian part is restored, “all interested parties,
including Armenia and event Azerbaijan to some extent” should take
part in rehabilitation works. At that Fadeev stated readiness to
“make every effort toward rehabilitation of the Abkhazian part of the
railway.” “We are ready to send best carriages via Moscow-Tbilisi route
and to arrange daily communication,” he said. In his turn Chairman of
the Department of Railways of Armenia Ararat Khrimyan told journalists
the Armenian party plans to join the project, if Russia and Georgia
pass a final decision on rehabilitation of the rail segment and if
it is the case Armenia will allocate some means for implementation
of the project. “If the project is real, we will really think of it,
as everybody needs this railway,” he underscored. Meanwhile, Georgian
Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli emphasized in a conversation with
journalists that he would not like “excessive euphoria in the matter,
as there are many questions that need to be solved.” “This first of
all includes securing refugees, rather Gali region population,” he
said. The Georgian PM refrained from answering the question, whether
a decision on restoration of the Abkhazian rail was passed at the
political level. In his words, “the issue is not a simple one and
relates to the solution of many organizational questions – the topic
has been discussed by the Russian and Georgian parties many times,
including in the course of the Russian PM Mikhail Fradkov’s visit
to Georgia June 3.” Nogaideli noted that the question of restoration
of rail communication via Abkhazia was not considered at the meeting
of the CIS Council on Rail Transport, however it was discussed with
Russian Railway Public Corporation head Gennadi Fadeev.