SERGEY MARKEDONOV: UNDOUBTEDLY, “BAKU-AKHALKALAKI-TBILISI-KARS” PROMOTES CREATING OF THE NEW GEO-POLITICAL CONFIGURATION UNFRIENDLY TO RUSSIA
by David Stepanyan
Monday, February 17, 12:36
Undoubtedly, the railway project “Baku-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Kars”
promotes creating of the new geo-political configuration unfriendly
to Russia, this time the transport one, Russian political expert,
Sergey Markedov, told Arminfo corespondent.
“However, one should not overestimate its significance as a strategical
platform of an alliance between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia, as
its further development depends on the factors which are far from the
railway problems. I mean the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine,
the dynamics of regional conflicts and Russia-West relations. Baku
has already said that Baku-Tbilisi-Kars will be put into operation
in 2015, though its term was delayed for several times.
The project was first of all given the political significance. That
is to say, taking into consideration the fact that the railway is
being built without participation of Russia, it should minimize the
dependence of Baku and Tbilisi on Moscow”, – the expert said.
In this context, he emphasized that Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway is
watched by the countries which initiated this project as a trap for
Armenia, which will find itself in absolute isolation if the project
is fulfilled. In this context, it is important that the project is
submitted like an evidence of Turkey’s strength at the South Caucasus
taking into account the fact that BTK is being fulfilled by Ankara
and Baku bypassing the USA. He recalled that in June 2006 American
congressmen voted against isolation of Armenia from the regional
transport projects. Incidentally, BTK project is considered to be a
part of a bigger project on creation of another transport corridor
Europe-Asia.
Against such a background, the participants in the project think that
Kazakhstan and China are economically interested in functioning of
the BTK railway. And if China’s plans in the region should be revised,
Kazakhstan’s interest in the South Caucasus is strict, he said.
“Nevertheless, the political BTK project has political sentinels,
including the social-economic ones developing into ethnic and the
problems of the Azerbaijani population of Kvemo-Kartli region
of Georgia. The Armenian populated Samnske-Javakhti region of
Georgia plays a special part in these relations, and the prospect
of its transformation into “Nagornyy Karabakh” contradicts Georgia’s
interests. Moreover, Georgia fears the growth of the Turkish influence
in Ajaria and the reserve of Washington regarding the BTK project”,
– Markedonov concluded.