PRESS RELEASE
Jennifer Karch Cannata
Press Secretary
Office of U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr.
420 Cannon House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515
(202) 225-4671 office
(202) 225-9665 fax
Contact: Jennifer Hing/Knollenberg
July 25, 2005
(202) 225-5802
Jennifer Cannata/Pallone
(202) 225-4671
Knollenberg, Pallone introduce BILL to deny U.S. support for ANY south
caucuses rail line designed to exclude Armenia
Washington, D.C. — Following recent reports that plans are underway to
build a new railroad system connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey that
specifically exclude Armenia, U.S. Reps. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank
Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), co-chairmen of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian
Issues, last week introduced legislation in the U.S. House of
Representatives that explicitly prohibits any U.S. assistance to the project
unless Armenia is included.
The proposed rail link would cost between $400 million and $800 million and
is designed to bypass a pre-existing rail line in Armenia that could be
brought online with a few minor updates and repairs. The Armenian rail line
is not currently in use because of the Turkish government’s blockade of
Armenia. The lawmakers expressed concern that the new line, which connects
the cities of Baku, Azerbaijan, Tbilisi, Georgia and Kars, Turkey, will
further reinforce Turkey’s illegal blockade.
Knollenberg and Pallone said that open and fully integrated transportation
routes are necessary to promote cooperation, support economic growth, and
help resolve regional conflicts, but that the new rail line will allow the
region to develop economically, without any benefit to Armenia.
The lawmakers also expressed concern that Azerbaijan’s leading role in the
development of the new railroad, combined with other similar attempts to
exclude Armenia from regional cooperative efforts, threatens to undermine a
solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and could potentially destabilize
the region.
“Instead of condoning economic isolation, the United States should stand
strong for its policy of promoting integration among the countries of the
South Caucasus. By urging the countries of the region to use the existing
rail line, we can help cool tensions and foster much needed cooperation,”
Knollenberg said.
“Armenia’s exclusion from this project directly undermines the United
States’ stated goal of fostering integration and cooperation among the
countries of the region,” Pallone said. “The United States should not
reinforce this type of economic isolationism, and we should not support this
plan until Armenia is included as a full partner in this project.”
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From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress