PREMIER CONCERNED ABOUT TURKISH-AZERI PLANS TO BYPASS ARMENIA

Mediamax news agency, Yerevan
6 Sep 05

Yerevan, 6 September: At a meeting with OSCE chairman-in-office
Dimitrij Rupel today, Armenian Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan
expressed his regret about the actions of Azerbaijan and Turkey to
implement regional projects bypassing Armenia.

The prime minister spoke about the construction of the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railway while the Kars-Gyumri-Akhalkalaki
railway is ready for operation, the press service of the Armenian
government told Mediamax today. Markaryan said that such initiatives
run counter to the spirit of the European Union’s New Neighbourhood
Policy.

According to the press service of the Armenian government, “sharing the
prime minister’s concern about the issue, the OSCE chairman-in-office
promised that these problems will be taken into account when the talks
on Turkey’s accession to the EU start”. Rupel said that Turkey will
be asked to normalize relations with Armenia and other countries of
the region.