Regnum, Russia
March 9 2007

Armenian foreign minister: Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku Project
produces negative political situation in the region

Position of teh official Yerevan on construction of the
Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway bypassing Armenia remains the
same: the Armenian side opposes it, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan announced at a news conference on March 9.

A REGNUM correspondent quotes him as saying that from the economic
point of view the project will do no harm to Armenia, as the country
is suffering losses already because of closure of the
Armenian-Turkish border. `From the political point of view, the
project produces negative atmosphere in the region, particularly,
affects forming of favorable relations,’ the minister said.

Speaking on Kazakhstan’s possible participation in the project,
Vardan Oskanyan said that during the last year Armenian-Kazakh
meeting, the Kazakh side was not very optimistic about the project.
`Maybe, they have changed their attitude, but I know nothing about
it,’ said Vardan Oskanyan adding that the Armenian side would
continue opposing the project. At the same time, according to the
Armenian foreign minister, probably, participants of the project have
financial problems, if they would like to join Kazakhstan to it.