GEORGIA ‘HINDERING TURKISH-AZERI RAIL LINK’
By Emil Danielyan
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Sept 26 2006
Georgia is unexpectedly obstructing plans to build a controversial
regional railway that would connect Turkey to Azerbaijan and bypass
Armenian, reports from Ankara claimed on Tuesday.
"Georgia is deliberately delaying the start of work on the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway," an unnamed senior official
from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in remarks reported by the
Baku daily "Zerkalo."
"Georgia is one of the countries that will draw great benefits from
this project," the official was quoted as saying. "Despite that,
Tbilisi is creating all kinds of bureaucratic obstacles to delay the
railway’s construction. This is absolutely incomprehensible."
The Turkish, Georgian and Azerbaijani governments have for years been
discussing the project estimated to cost $400 million, saying that
it will promote regional stability and economic integration.
The Armenian government is fiercely opposed to its implementation
and says its main purpose to deepen Armenia’s economic isolation.
Official Yerevan says Turkey already has a rail rink with the South
Caucasus running through Armenia. The Kars-Gyumri railroad has stood
idle for more than a decade as part of the continuing Turkish economic
blockade of Armenia.
Armenian-American organizations have successfully lobbied the U.S.
Congress to ban any U.S. government assistance to the project. The
Senate’s Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee approved an
appropriate bill late last week. The U.S. administration has not
objected to the ban.
Turkish and Azerbaijani officials have dismissed the congressional
restrictions, saying that Ankara and Baku have sufficient resources
of their own to finance the project. According to the unidentified
Turkish official, Ankara is ready to spend $220 million for that
purpose. The head of Georgia’s state rail company announced earlier
this month that work on the 192-kilometer-long Georgian section of
the planned railway will be financed by an Azerbaijani government loan.