ARMENIA NOT EXCLUDED IN RAILWAY PROJECT

Today’s Zaman
Sept 12 2008
Turkey

A railway project linking Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia is not meant
to exclude neighboring Armenia, with which Turkey has no formal ties,
Transportation Minister Binali Yıldırım said yesterday.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars bypasses Russia and Armenia. The railway,
which is scheduled to be completed in 2011, will not only link the
three countries but will also revive the historic Silk Road trade
route that once connected Asia with Europe.

"The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is by no means a project excluding
Armenia," Yıldırım told reporters. "This is an international
project aimed at boosting international trade and tourism, and it is
quite possible that other countries may also join. Russia, Greece and
Iran could join. It is not confined to Turkey and Azerbaijan alone,"
he added.

Some 1.5 million people and 6.5 million tons of cargo are expected
to be transported by the railway in the first year following its
launch. Yıldırım also praised a visit by President Abdullah Gul
to Armenia on Saturday and said he may also visit the neighboring
country after coordinating such a trip with the Foreign Ministry. "As
positive developments keep coming between Turkey and Armenia in the
diplomatic and political spheres, these developments will also be
reflected in other areas, such as transportation, communications,
trade, education, health and tourism," he said.

–Boundary_(ID_CRFdoMgs2vhsC2qpL4/BZA)–