GEORGIAN PAPER EXAMINES RAILWAY PROJECT, SAYS CONSTRUCTION TO BEGIN IN 2007
Rezonansi, Tbilisi
26 Aug 06
The construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway will begin in
September 2007. Azerbaijan and Turkey will give Georgia a 220m-dollar
long-term credit for the construction work.
The restoration of the Akhalkalaki-Kars railway, which has been delayed
for years, has become a more prominent issue recently. Turkey has
been raising the issue of rebuilding the railway with the Georgian
government for decades now , but it has taken on a new character
given Georgia’s more active foreign policy.
The main reason for the delay was a lack of funds. Although putting
the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway into operation is in Washington’s
geostrategic interests, the Armenian diaspora in the United States
set the US Senate against the railway project. They believe that the
restored railway line will bring about Armenia’s complete isolation
from the surrounding world.
Senators Rick Santorum and Robert Menendez even submitted a draft to
the US Senate prohibiting US investment in the construction of any
railway in the South Caucasus that bypassed Armenian territory.
At a recent meeting of representatives of the three countries –
Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia – it was decided that Georgia would be
given a long-term loan for the construction of the railway. "Georgia
demanded a long-term interest-free loan and Azerbaijan and Turkey
agreed," Sadreddin Mamedov, head of the Azerbaijani Transport Ministry
Transport Policy and Economy Department, noted.
Some experts have said that Georgia was holding back on the project
because of fears that the level of freight passing through its ports
in Batumi and Poti would decrease. However, specialists believe that
this fear is groundless, as it will be mainly dry cargoes transported
along the new route, not oil and oil products.
"It is important to start the project. The more railway
networks connect us with our neighbours the better. The main
thing is to have these regions of Georgia firmly linked to the
centre. Samtskhe-Javakheti [province predominantly populated by
ethnic Armenians] is a politically unstable region, as the Russian
military base there [in Akhalkalaki] is a hornet’s nest of separatism,"
political analyst Soso Tsintsadze said. [Passage omitted]
Around 39 km of the Kars-Akhalkalaki section will be constructed on
Georgian territory and 70 km on the Turkish side of the border. The
project is divided into two phases. One track will be built initially,
while construction of a second track will begin once the railway
is in operation and regular freight services begin. The project
also includes the reconstruction of the Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railway
section. [Passage omitted]
According to experts, if the project is implemented, both countries –
Turkey and Georgia – will benefit in their own way. Georgia’s economic
and political position will be a lot more stable and the government
is already counting the millions that will come to the budget from
the railway. As for Turkey, it will fulfil its old dream and will
be linked to the Russian market by the shortest and a far more
advantageous route. Turkey will also be able to establish contacts
with Central Asia via this route.