Arka News Agency, Armenia
Feb 10 2007

OSKANYAN: GEORGIA IS STRATEGICALLY IMPORTANT TO ARMENIA

YEREVAN, February 9. /ARKA/. Georgia is a country of strategic
significance to Armenia, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan
said Wednesday in Armenian National Assembly.
However, he said, it doesn’t mean that Armenia, in turn, can be
strategically important to Georgia.
Oskanyan said Georgia’s importance is due to geography, since
Armenia’s all major transportation links go though Georgia’s
territory.
Commenting on Georgia’s participation in
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway construction project that
leaves Armenia on the sidelines, Oskanyan said that this fact
wouldn’t affect Armenian-Georgian relations.
In his words, Georgia displays restraint in this matter. The country
decided to take part in the project because of its economic
interests, to make cargo shipment cheaper. "This is Georgia’s
sovereign decision, which can’t be influenced by Armenia", the
minister said.
The railway is planned to be put into exploitation in two or three
years.
The parties hope the railway’s annual capacity to be 15 million tons
of cargo. China and Kazakhstan are expected to join the project.
M.V.-0–