NOT ONLY ARMENIA HAS COMMUNICATION PROBLEMS IN REGION, ALEXANDER ISKANDARIAN EMPHASIZES

Noyan Tapan
Feb 12 2007

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. "The project on contsruction of
the Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku (KATB) railway transport corridor is
a political project. And such projects, as we know, are implemented
as there is the political will of countries, in the given case,
of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey."

Alexander Iskandarian, the Caucasus Media Institute Director informed
about it in the interview to the Noyan Tapan correspondent. He
mentioned that it would be impossible to counteract that project,
one can only delay it but not stop. A.Iskandarian reminded that the
Baku-Jeyhan oil project was implemented in the conditions when it was
only politically beneficial. It became economically beneficial after
increase of oil prices. The project on construction of the Iran-Armenia
gas pipeline was already implemented in spite of primordial great
resistance of Russia and U.S. As for the issue if implementation
of the KATB can have negative influence on Armenia, particularly,
decrease its significance in the region, A.Iskandarian mentioned:
"What is said in political discussion both in Azerbaijan and Armenia,
in my opinion, is absolutely wrong: roads can not isolate, walls
can isolate. What a road is broken, it will not isolate Armenia. The
close border with Turkey isolates Armenia. In the expert’s opinion,
closing of the border with Turkey will have political meaning, besides,
the communication meaning is also great. "We shall stop considering
ourselves a dead-lock. One must work on it, and if the Azerbaijani
direction has no perspective, the Turkish one is not so hopeless,
and maybe, changes will take place here, though I do not think that
they will happen very quickly."

A.Iskandarian did not agree that only Armenia has communication
problems in the region. In his words, it is a myth: "For some reason
Azerbaijan, having problems with Iran, insignificant trade exchange
with Georgia and periodically close border with Russia, does not
consider itself isolated. Georgia, isolated from Russia, names itself
cross-roads. And Armenia, having active cooperation with Georgia and
Iran, names itself dead-lock."