TRANSPORT MINISTERS OFFER TO BUILD BLACK SEA RING ROAD
ITAR-TASS, Russia
Sept 27 2006
SOCHI, September 27 (Itar-Tass) – Transport ministers of the
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation have inked a
memorandum of understanding on building a ring road around the
Black Sea.
The decision on building this road will be finalized in November,
when the OBSEC foreign ministers will sign the relevant memorandum,
Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin said.
At present, transport ministries of the interested parties submit
their proposals for the road construction.
The International Bank of Reconstruction and Development and the
OBSEC Bank have expressed the readiness to invest in the construction
project.
Armenian Transport Minister Andranik Manukian offered to define a
highway’s route taking into account those member-countries that have
no transport access to the Black Sea.
According to preliminary estimates, a ring road will stretch over
7,100 kilometers via Istanbul (Turkey), Batumi (Georgia), Novorossisk,
Taganrog (Russia), Mariupol, Odessa (Ukraine), Chisinau (Moldova),
Bucharest (Romania), Kharkov (Ukraine) and Alexandroupolis (Greece).