VAHAN HOVHANNISYAN: KARS-AKHALKALAKI-TBILISI-BAKU RAILWAY IS A CLEARLY POLITICAL PROJECT

ArmRadio.am
07.02.2007 15:25

The construction of Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway is a clearly
political project, since it does not have an economic foundation
and pursues the aim to strengthen the blockade of Armenia, said
Vahan Hovhannisyan, Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly. "Turkey
hopes that if the railway works, the pressure on Turkey to open the
railway with Armenia may weaken. I think, however, that this is an
incorrect calculation, since it’s not only us that understand that
this is a political project and has nothing to do with communication
and economy," said NA Vice-Speaker.

In his words, if the Armenian side manages to find correct diplomatic
solutions, this project can at lease protract for a very long time,
since it is not that easy to accomplish. The newly constructed segments
should pass through territories, which are very hard to traverse. The
issue of financing is also a complex one, especially after the
US banned any participation in the financing of the project. "We
must have the European Union join this ban, and I think this is the
direction our diplomatic system should take," Vahan Hovhannisyan noted.

It’s worth mentioning that within the current month in Vienna RA
parliamentary delegation headed by Vahan Hovhannisyan will participate
in the winter session of the OSCE parliamentary, the agenda of
which includes issues of energy security and communication. Vahan
Hovhannisyan noted that the Armenian delegation will raise he issue
of the railway construction.