TALKS ON $400M TRANSPORT PROJECT POSTPONED
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Aug 25 2005
The discussions on a major regional railway project have been
postponed again. The meeting of Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish
transport ministers initially planned for August 24 will take place
early in September instead due to their busy schedule, according to
the Azerbaijan railway spokesman Nadir Azmammadov.
“The new date for the meeting is currently being determined”, he
said. The $400 million project envisions building a 98-km railway line
(68 km in Turkey and 30 in Georgia). Joining the Azeri and Georgian
railways with the Turkish section will allow the movement of trains not
only between Azerbaijan and Georgia but also to Western Europe though
Bulgaria, or in the southward direction toward Syria, Iraq and Jordan.
The project represents political importance for Azerbaijan as well.
Its implementation leaves Armenia out of regional transport projects,
and operation of the Gumri, Armenia-Gars, Turkey railway section will
be out of the question. This railway section is currently not in
use due to Turkey’s demands on Armenia’s pullout from the occupied
Azeri territories. Moreover, the construction of a Gars-Nakhchivan
railway line in the future is possible as well. The most challenging
part of the project is funding the railway by Georgia, which, unlike
Azerbaijan, is experiencing financial constraints.