Abkhazian President calls the prospect of resumption of the railway
communication `vague’
Saturday 19 January 2013 09:44
Photo:
Abkhazian President Alexander Ankvab
Yerevan/Mediamax/. Abkhazian President Alexander Ankvab stated
`multibillion investments’ are needed for full rehabilitation of the
Abkhazian railway.
`Echo of Caucasus’ reports that the Abkhazian leader said this at a
press conference in Sukhumi commenting on the statements of the
Georgian Prime Minister made in Yerevan this week.
Speaking on the prospects of resumption of the Abkhazian railway,
Bidzina Ivanishvili said in particular that `there are positive
signals by our brother Abkhazians’.
`I know on this occasion just as much as you know. There were no any
addresses on this matter by any side. And there were no positive
impulses on the part of `brother Abkhazians’. If there is something
we’ll sit and discuss it’, said Ankvab.
Answering the question on how attractive the settlement of the issue
is for Abkhazia itself, the leader of the republic said:
`13-15% of all the cargoes going to Transcaucasia and from it were
passing through our sector of the trans-Caucasian railway during the
USSR times. It was rather a loaded sector. As for now, it’s difficult
to say. Specialists should count what the Abkhazian side will have
from it, whether it is worth. Everything is extremely vague yet. The
expenses are huge”, said Ankvab.
He noted that only the Psou-Sukhumi railway sector is in satisfactory state.
”The remaining from Ochamchiry is conventional. There is nothing at
all after Ochamchiry. Multibillion investments are needed for the full
railway”, said the Abkhazian President.
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili stated that the resumption of
the railway communication through Abkhazia is in the interests of
Russia and the advancement of the issue without the context of
de-occupation is “a criminal, anti-state and anti-Georgian” act.
The Georgian President said this commenting on the statement of the
Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili made in Yerevan on January 17,
Civil.ge reports.
Mikhail Saakashvili said that “the statement contains some elements
and all of them are very alarming”. “First of all, the statement
doesn’t consider the geopolitical and political strategic interests of
Georgia at all”, stated Saakashili.
According to him, after the launch of the new railway line of
Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars which will link Azerbaijan with Turkey through
Georgia, Georgia won’t need to open communication through Abkhazia.
According to Saakashvili, Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway line will link
Asia with Europe and will compete with Russian Trans-Siberian Railway.
“Naturally, we want good relations with Armenia. We have done much to
make way for Armenian cargo”, he stated adding that the opening of
border checkpoint of Verin Lars served to this end. “Armenia’s
isolation have never been in Georgia’s interests and we have never
supported it. But good relations with Armenia is one thing but
realization of the strategic plans of the occupant – is another”, said
Saakashvili.
Georgian PM Bidzina Ivanishvili said in Yerevan January 17 that the
resumption of the communication across Abkhazia is directly linked to
the settlement of Georgian-Russian relations. He added that the
Georgian side is interested in earliest decision on resumption of the
operation of the Abkhazian sector of the railway.
At the same time, the Georgian Prime Minister noted that the issues in
relations between Georgia and Russia are still unsettled.
“There are no issues between Georgia and Armenia. We had serious
problems with Russia which still remain. We hope and make efforts to
restore relations with Russia”, said the Georgian PM.
Bidzina Ivanishvili answered the question on prospects of resumption
of the railway communication across Abkhazia in his exclusive
interview to Mediamax on January 15 as well. Answering the question
on Tbilisi’s readiness to discuss the prospect before the political
settlement of the Abkhazian problem, he said:
“We are always ready for discussion of both problematic and promising
issues. It’s more important that all the sides involved in the process
were ready. We are in nonstandard conditions and the search for
innovative approaches to settlement of the current problematic issues
is needed”.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
