Chief of Russian Railway Calls for Restoration of Link via Abkhazia
/ Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 2005-02-24 17:58:02
Chief of the state-run Russian Railway Company Genadi Fadeev said on
February 24 that restoration of the railway link through Georgia’s breakaway
republic of Abkhazia “will be the key for resolving problems in the
Caucasus,” RIA Novosti news agency reported.
The railway link via Abkhazia has been defunct for the past eleven years,
after the armed conflict in the region ended. However, Russia unilaterally
restored rail traffic between Moscow and the Abkhaz capital of Sokhumi in
2004.
Genadi Fadeev said that the current situation with the railway communication
is absolutely acceptable for Abkhazia. “[Rail] traffic is organized there,”
he added.
He also said that involved parties should launch talks in order to restore
the railway connection between Russia and Georgia via Abkhazia, which will
also be beneficial for Armenia.