Armenpress News Agency, Armenia July 14, 2017 Friday Group of disabled tourists from Lebanon impressed with Armenian hospitality YEREVAN, JULY 14, ARMENPRESS. A group of disabled tourists from Lebanon are impressed with the Armenian hospitality and reception, reports Armenpress. Their trip in Armenia continues. They plan to visit Garni, Geghard, Etchmiadzin, Khor Virap within a week. The State Tourism Committee of Armenia received a request several months ago which said a Lebanese company plans to organize the visit of a group of disabled tourists to Armenia so that they can reveal Armenia with their own experience and asked the Committee for assistance. The Committee thanks Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan and the Yerevan Municipality for providing a comfortable transportation to the guests. The group consisting of 38 disabled people is impressed with the Armenian hospitality. The Committee decided to meet and communicate with the guests. They were very impressed and highlighted the attention and care of Armenians. Some of the tourists are interested in the Armenian brandy and wine. They look forward to the visit to the Ararat brandy company. The guests also mentioned the safety issue in Armenia, adding that they feel very safe here.
Category: 2017
Turkey to pay $2.5bn for Russian S-400 missiles: Official
Press TV, Iran July 14, 2017 Friday Turkey to pay $2.5bn for Russian S-400 missiles: Official Russia's S-400 Triumph medium and long-range surface-to-air missile systems ride through Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in the capital Moscow, May 9, 2017. (Photos by AFP) Turkey has agreed to shell out $2.5 billion in order to purchase Russia's most advanced missile defense system S-400, provided that Moscow agrees to transfer the technology as well, an official says. "For Turkey, the key aspect of any deal is transfer of technology or know-how. The Russian agreement to allow two of the S-400 batteries to be produced in Turkey will serve that aim," the unnamed official told Bloomberg on Thursday. Under the deal, Russia would send two S-400 systems to Turkey within the next year and then help the country to domestically produce two more batteries. If true, the deal would be a slap in the face for NATO. The US-led military alliance has tried to prevent Turkey—as a strategic member— from forging close ties with Russia. However, Turkey's drift towards Russia seems to be a direct result of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's growing frustration with the West and in particular with America. Ankara has been upset with Washington's lack of respect for its demands on extraditing key opposition figure Fethullah Gulen, whom Turkey accuses of staging last year's botched coup in the country. The Turkish government says it has "85 boxes of concrete evidence" that prove Gulen was behind the coup attempt on July 15 last year, which killed some 250 people and injured over 2,100. Erdogan has also been disappointed with the US' support for some Kurdish groups in Iraq and Syria, which he deems a threat for his country's national security. The move has also been described by experts as Turkey's response to Washington's decision in 2015 to withdraw its Patriot surface-to-air missile system from Turkey's border with Syria. Before turning to Russia, the Turkish military walked out of a $3.4-billion contract for a similar Chinese system under pressure from the US. Neither the S-400 nor its Chinese equivalent, FD200, are compatible with other NATO military systems, meaning that they are not bound by NATO's instructions that prevent Turkey from placing such weapons on the Armenian border, Aegean coast or Greek border. According to the official, the Turkish S-400s would not be equipped with a friend-or-foe identification system, allowing them to be used against all targets without any restrictions. Designed to detect, track and destroy aircraft, drones or missiles as far as 250 miles away, the missile defense system has only been sold to China and India so far.
U.S. Hands Off Iran
Tehran Times, Iran
July 14, 2017 Friday
July 14, 2017 Friday
U.S. Hands Off Iran
I just travelled to Iran where was I was invited to speak at the University of Tehran about human rights and “humanitarian intervention.” I put this term in quotes because I’ve rarely ever seen any intervention that was truly humanitarian or that produced humane results, but more on that later.
Before I traveled to Iran, a number of friends and family members expressed shock that I would go there, feared for my safety and well-being, with some urging me not to go at all. Of course, this is not surprising given the antipathy of the U.S. towards Iran and how that country is portrayed in the mainstream press.
We in the U.S. are constantly told that Iran is our enemy; that it is indeed part of some “axis of evil” that must be sanctioned, fought against and even subject to “regime change.” In terms of the first assertion – that Iran is our enemy – we are usually told that this is so because Iran is allegedly a “state sponsor of terrorism.” This is a quite curious claim given that Iran is a sworn enemy of Isis and Al-Qaida, and indeed was set to help fight Al-Qaida and the Taliban after the 911 attacks until Donald Rumsfeld intervened. Meanwhile, the U.S.’s close ally Saudi Arabia – a country we just sold $110 billion of arms to – has been covertly and overtly supporting Isis and Al-Qaida for years. Recall that fifteen of the nineteen 911 attackers were indeed from Saudi Arabia and that Saudi Arabia aided and abetted some of the 911 attackers.
The claim about Iran sponsoring terrorism is also ironic given the U.S.’s support for the cultish Mojahedin-e Khalq (MEK) organization which itself wants to topple the Iranian government, despite its unpopularity in Iran, and which was actually designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization from 1997 to 2012. As the London Guardian notes, the MEK has “claimed responsibility for murdering thousands of Iranians” since 1981 (my friends in Iran put the figure of those killed at 17,000); supported the seizure of the U.S. Embassy in Iran in 1979 and the holding of the American hostages; joined Saddam Hussein in fighting Iran during the Iran-Iraq war; and killed at least six Americans during the 1970s. Yet, the MEK, which was holding a conference in Paris while I was in Iran, is now a darling of such U.S. political bigwigs as John Bolton, Newt Gingrich, Joe Lieberman, Howard Dean and Rudy Giuliani.
Armenian Christian Church, Isfahan, Iran
Another claim that is made about Iran is that it is a despotic, sexist theocracy which is offensive to our Western values and sensibilities (as if those are the gold standard). Again, given that the U.S. is in lock-step with the retrograde, misogynistic monarchy of Saudi Arabia, this claim rings hollow. Moreover, as any visitor to Iran will tell you, Iran is actually a quite modern, Western country where many people speak English. It is also a country where women, though certainly not as liberated as they should be, for the most part wear minimal head coverings, such as colorful silk scarves (which nearly all of the women on my flight from Frankfurt began to put on their heads as we descended toward the Tehran airport); freely drive cars and are found in every sector of public and commercial life.
Most importantly, though, talk about “regime change” begs the question of what the regime will be changed to and how it will be changed. In the case of one of the most notable recent acts of regime change the West has effected – Libya – we see that the West is content to topple a government , doing great damage to the people, civilian infrastructure and ancient antiquities in the process, and leave nothing but chaos in its wake. In my view, the West seems to have the same plans for Syria where it has aimed at toppling the Assad government while claiming to support “moderate rebels” who do not seem to exist. The regime changes in Iraq and Afghanistan have not produced much better results with tens of thousands being killed, the countries being laid to ruin, and at best weak governments resulting from the ashes.
Armenian Christian Church, Isfahan, Iran
As I walked through the beautiful streets of Tehran and Isfahan, was warmly greeted by the beautiful people of Iran who actually love Americans as I came to find; and witnessed Iran’s wealth of ancient architecture, including functioning Armenian Christian Churches and Jewish synagogues, I couldn’t help but feel pangs of fear and even anger at the thought of but another “humanitarian intervention” which would surely lay waste to many of the people and antiquities I was encountering.
And, I wondered what the plan would be for Iran if the U.S. were to seek “regime change.” Would the U.S. put in power the unpopular and bizarre MEK? Or, maybe the U.S. would put in power the son of the last Shah (i.e., King) who apparently is making noises of wishing to return. Recall that the U.S. installed the Shah in 1953 after overthrowing the democratically-elected Prime Minister, Mohammed Mossadeqh because Mossadeqh wished to nationalize Iran’s oil fields and use the oil revenue for the benefit of the Iranian people – an unforgiveable offense. The Shah was kept in power until the 1979 revolution through the help of the SAVAK – a brutal security apparatus which the CIA helped to set up and train in torture techniques to prevent democracy from breaking out in Iran. I had the chance to tour the main SAVAK prison and torture center – now a museum – and see the rows and rows of photos of those imprisoned, tortured and killed by the SAVAK. Is the U.S. interested in again handing over Iran to this terrible regime?
The truth is that Iran is a society which is progressing, if slowly and in its own way. It has a democratically-elected president and legislature and a vibrant civil society which is pushing for ever greater freedoms and reforms. If we haven’t learned by now, it is up to the Iranian people to decide their own fate and what type of government they will have. I am confident the Iranian people will find their way, in their own manner and in their own time, if we just allow them to do so.
(source: huffingtonpost):
Karabakh people’s self-determination should be accomplished – Armenian president
Interfax - Russia & CIS Military Newswire July 14, 2017 Friday 6:48 PM MSK Karabakh people's self-determination should be accomplished - Armenian president YEREVAN. July 14 The self-determination of the Nagorno-Karabakh people is a right envisaged by charters of international organizations, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said. "It is a principle recognized by international law and it should be accomplished," Sargsyan said in an interview with the R-Evolution program on the Armenia TV channel. The number-one security guarantee is one's own capable armed forces, he said. "It is the most reliable guarantee," he said. The Armenian side has enough weapons combined with the combat capacity of troops to neutralize a threat to the security of Nagorno-Karabakh or Armenia, Sargsyan said. "If anyone thinks that Iskander systems have only moral or psychological significance, they don't even understand what those systems are. Once they find out, they will understand the destructive power those weapons have," he said.
Armenian army sufficiently equipped to accomplish combat missions – Armenian president
Interfax - Russia & CIS General Newswire July 14, 2017 Friday 9:54 AM MSK Armenian army sufficiently equipped to accomplish combat missions - Armenian president YEREVAN. July 14 The Armenian army is sufficiently equipped to accomplish its missions, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said. "There is no doubt that our army has been strengthening day after day. New weapons, types of armaments are being procured. The level of our equipment is satisfactory and sufficient for the accomplishment of any combat missions the army may have," Sargsyan said at public hearings on a number of programs under the Army-Nation concept. However, the man is the principal force on the battlefield, he said. "Every battle and war victorious or lucky for us has been won thanks to the human factor, in the first turn. Sufficient quantities and quality of weapons and ammunition plus smart and determined fighters are the token of success, which I have no doubt about," Sargsyan said. te ar
State Duma ratifies agreement with Armenia on joint group of forces
Interfax - Russia & CIS General Newswire July 14, 2017 Friday 1:16 PM MSK State Duma ratifies agreement with Armenia on joint group of forces MOSCOW. July 14 The State Duma on Friday ratified the Russian-Armenian agreement on a joint group of forces submitted by President Vladimir Putin. The agreement was signed in Moscow on November 30, 2016. "The joint group of forces will be tasked with providing military security in the Caucasian collective security zone," the explanatory note to the instrument of ratification said. The joint group of forces will comprise commands and troops of Russia and Armenia to be deployed in the region in the period of a direct threat of aggression or at a time of war for deterring possible aggression, it said. The use of the joint group of forces will be planned in peace time on the basis of the joint directive of the Russian and Armenian general staffs, it said. The document sets the primary objectives of the group, such as "uncovering, in a timely fashion, preparations for an armed attack [aggression] on Russia and Armenia within the limits of the region and its deterrence." In addition, the group will protect the land border between the two countries and assist in the protection of airspace. A decision to deploy and use the joint group of forces will be made jointly by the supreme commanders-in-chief of the Russian and Armenian armies, the document said. The five-year agreement may be automatically extended for further five-year periods, the document said. "The implementation of this agreement is fully in the interests of Russia; it will bolster the security of the two countries and will not require additional allocations from the federal budget," the explanatory note said. te ng ar
Alexander Iskandaryan: Karabakh issue can remain open dozens, if not hundreds of years
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia July 13, 2017 Thursday Alexander Iskandaryan: Karabakh issue can remain open dozens, if not hundreds of years Yerevan July 13 Ani Mshetsyan. "The result of the meeting in Brussels of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is a simple statement of the negotiation process continues." The fact that Azerbaijan did not cancel the meeting despite the aggravation of the situation on the border is very revealing. "The aggravation of the conflict is the tactics of Azerbaijan. Time has become a habit to combine negotiations with the aggravation of the Karabakh conflict, "said Alexander Iskandaryan, Director of the Caucasus Institute at a press conference on July 13 at a press conference in Yerevan.. As the expert noted, Azerbaijan, combining the negotiation process together with the exacerbations on the border, is trying, therefore, to exert pressure on Armenia. "To think that the negotiation process can lead to the cessation of shooting is wrong, while Azerbaijan is not ready for a full-scale war, so the pressure on the Armenian side is rather psychological, but in the near future, the situation can not be ruled out," the expert said. According to the political scientist, the result of the meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan is not, which should be expected. All expectations were that Azerbaijan was expected to establish confidence-building measures, but official Baku is desperately resisting it, since the establishment of these measures will consolidate the situation that exists at the moment. "And Azerbaijan does not like such a scenario," Iskandaryan said. Also, the political scientist noted that at the moment there are no prerequisites for the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh by Armenia, as this would mean the collapse of the Minsk agreements, which is currently unprofitable for Yerevan. "At the moment, the talks are aimed at the talks, and the Armenian side will try to exert pressure and stop the violence of Azerbaijan through the negotiation process, but in this situation, political pressure alone is not enough," the political scientist said. "No one can solve the conflict for us, neither the Minsk Group nor anyone else, but the decision of Armenia does not suit Azerbaijan, and vice versa." There is also no option of a compromise that would be arranged by both sides. "Thus, the Karabakh issue can remain open Dozens, even hundreds of years, "Iskandaryan concluded.
The head of the Ministry of Transport noted the complete lack of progress in the implementation of the program for the construction of the railway "Iran-Armenia"
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia July 13, 2017 Thursday The head of the Ministry of Transport noted the complete lack of progress in the implementation of the program for the construction of the railway "Iran-Armenia" Yerevan July 13 Naira Badalyan. Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies of Armenia Vahan Martirosyan assures that the absence of the government program for 2017- 2022gg. The project of building the Iran-Armenia railway does not mean that the government refused to implement it. "It is impossible to include everything in the government program and, if this is not stated in the document, does not mean that the project will not be implemented," Vahan Martirosyan told ArmInfo on July 13 after the meeting of the government. According to the minister, despite the fact that the government's program for the next five years specifies in detail the timeframe to ensure a stable, affordable and competitive transport network, a street and road network that meets modern requirements for safety and comfort, and also upon completion of the investment program of the road corridor "North-South", and not a word about the railroad "Iran-Armenia", the Cabinet still hopes for the implementation of the project in the future. Nevertheless, as Vahan Martirosyan stated, today there is nothing that would be optimistic. "At this stage, there are problems with the implementation of the project, deciding which, we will be able to move forward," - noted the heads of the Ministry of Transport. These problems, as pointed out by Martirosyan, are related both to investors and the implementation of a number of obligations, and to the study of the state of roads. The Minister admits that Armenia is already lagging behind the earlier deadlines. According to him, there are certain limitations that, before they are eliminated, do not allow talking about progress. Which exactly - Vahan Martirosyan abstained to voice. The fact that the railway project "Iran-Armenia", recognized according to the assurances of the Ministry of Transport of Armenia, economically justified, ordered to live for a long time, became clear already at the beginning of this year, when the government decree of January 12 eliminated CJSC "Railway Construction Directorate "Under the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies of Armenia. Then the minister of transport, communications and IT of Armenia Vahan Martirosyan tried to calm the media representatives, noting that this will not in any way affect the implementation of the program for the construction of the Iran-Armenia railway. "As part of the Ministry operates" Railway Management, which can perform the relevant functions, "- he said. However, saying that negotiations in the direction of attracting potential investors in construction continue, the minister did not name the names and countries - possible participants in the project. "We are working in this direction, but we all realize that the project is not an easy one and requires individual work with each individual investor," he said. It is noteworthy that the project, which was announced as early as in 2012, is not completely formed for today. According to the Ministry of Transport, according to a very approximate calculation, the construction cost is estimated at $ 3.2 billion. "But this calculation is very approximate, since there is no final approved project, and we are waiting for the evaluation of future investors," Vahan Martirosyan stated then. "The routes of connection with the operating railway are discussed via the Sevan coast (Sevan station), the other via the Ararat valley (station Eraskh.) At the moment, the route through Sevan is preferable," the minister explained. As he said, all for the same rough estimates, the payback period of the project is estimated at 22 years. Back in May 2012, the Armenian and Iranian sides signed a concession agreement, which discussed the feasibility study and the main tasks of designing, building and financing this project. Thanks to the cooperation between Armenia and the investment company "RACIA FZE", a feasibility study for the feasibility of the "Southern Railway" project was developed. Based on the facts studied, it is proposed to build a railway for six years. The cost of the project was estimated at $ 3.5 billion. The total length of the road in Armenia is 305 km. It will have 86 bridges, a total length of 19.6 km and 60 tunnels with a total length of 102 km. Construction in accordance with the submitted program, will be completed in 2022. It is assumed that the volume of cargo transportation by rail from Gagarin station (Gegharkunik region) to Agarak (Syunik region) will be 25 million tons per year. This road, which is 44 km shorter than the planned site of Gavar-Agarak, will be connected to the existing railway network. The launch of the projects "Southern Railway of Armenia" and "Southern Highway of Armenia" (Iran-Armenia) was announced in January 2013. At the same time, a trilateral Memorandum of Understanding on regional cooperation aimed at the development of the South Railway of Armenia was signed between the South Caucasus Railway, the Ministry of Transport and Communication of Armenia and the company Racia FZE, registered in the United Arab Emirates by the company. After that, nothing more substantive about the "Racia FZE" and the results of negotiations with it was not announced. It should be noted that, according to economic analysts of ArmInfo, the economic inefficiencies in the construction of the Iran-Armenia railway are based on three main factors. This is, first of all, the deadlock of the Armenian railway and the impossibility of its direct access to the "Russian expanses"; secondly, even with the hypothetical possible unblocking of the Abkhaz section of the railway in the future, the presence of the currently constructed Iran-Armenia section of the North- Will make the Iran-Armenia railway, in connection with its insignificant length, inefficient. To this initially low efficiency, the third, perhaps most important, factor is added: the railway project of the Astara-Resht-Qazvin railroad realized by the Railways. This is a transport corridor that will connect the operating railways of Russia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The project is carried out within the framework of the international transport corridor "North-South", whose goal is the integration of the transport and information highways of Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran, India and Oman. In the opinion of analysts, the Iran-Armenia railway project is exclusively politically motivated and that is why during the last few years it practically did not manage to move from a dead center. The statements of the Armenian officials on the possibility of China's participation in this project in the framework of China's super-bureaucratic program for the revival of the Great Silk Road, worth $ 40 billion, do not stand up to the claims of the Armenian officials. Armenia does not exist in one scenario of the new Silk Road, but the maps show Iran- Azerbaijan and Turkey-Georgia.
Abashidze: Armenia should not hope for opening of trade corridor through Abkhazia
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia July 13, 2017 Thursday Abashidze: Armenia should not hope for opening of trade corridor through Abkhazia Yerevan July 17 Marianna Mkrtchyan. The topic of opening roads in the transit direction is not considered, "the special representative of the Prime Minister for Relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze responded to the statement of the Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies of Armenia Vahan Martirosyan that" in the near future Armenia hopes to launch a trade corridor Between Russia and Georgia through - Abkhazia and South Ossetia ". Abashidze said that the negotiations between Russia and Georgia are conducted on the implementation of the 2011 agreement on monitoring cargo turnover and there is no talk about additional preconditions that would allow Armenia to hope for the opening of a trade corridor through Abkhazia. "Now we are talking with Russia about the 2011 agreement to come into force. For this, it is necessary to conclude contracts with the Swiss company (SGS), both from our own and from the Russian side. In these negotiations our Swiss colleagues are actively participating. It is necessary to complete the preparatory phase of work on contracts and conclude them. After this, a Georgian-Russian-Swiss working group will be established to monitor the implementation of the agreement,"Abashidze said, Georgia Online reports. It should be noted that following the results of the talks in Prague, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin and Georgian special envoy, Ambassador Zurab Abashidze, it became known that the parties agreed to conclude consultations on the implementation of the 2011 agreement and proceed to formalize contracts with the Swiss firm SGS, which will Control the movement of goods and goods from Russia to Georgia and back through the "trade corridors" through the territory of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Vahan Martirosyan, Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies of Armenia, reacting to this news in particular, noted: "The parties to the talks have a mutual desire to open a railway through Abkhazia. Now no one can say ahead, in what terms the agreement can be reached, and the road - is open. We are here an outside observer, but we see interest from both the Georgian and Russian sides. But in the negotiations there are many details that need to be discussed. Negotiations take time, this must be treated with understanding. But the result will be". According to the research of the British non-governmental organization International Alert, the reconstruction of the Abkhazian railway, which has been inoperative since 1991 on the Sochi-Sukhumi- Tbilisi-Yerevan route, will cost $ 277.5 million, which will be repaid not earlier than in 100 years. $ 251 million is required to restore the 190-kilometer Abkhaz section of Psou-Inguri, while from Inguri to Zugdidi, the cost will be only $ 26.5 dollars. From Zugdidi to Tbilisi and further to Yerevan, the road works and does not need repairs. It is noteworthy that according to the official conclusions of the Abkhaz experts this amount is $ 350-400 million, while their Georgian counterparts believe that it will take no more than $ 73 million.
On the section of the Yerevan-Artashat motorway of the transport corridor"North-South" found cracks: the Ministry of Transport has no complaints.
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia July 13, 2017 Thursday On the section of the Yerevan-Artashat motorway of the transport corridor"North-South" found cracks: the Ministry of Transport has no complaints. Yerevan 13.07.17 Naira Badalyan. On the road sectionYerevan-Artashat transport corridor "North-South" found a crack.This was stated by the Minister of Transport, Communications and Information Technologies Vahan Martirosyan on July 13 after the meeting of the government, stressing that the service contract with the construction company of the Spanish "Corsan Corviam" was not completed due to which the Ministry of Transport demanded restoration. Meanwhile, the Spanish company in Armenia, more precisely in road construction of the country, "became famous" for a long time. Back in July last year, former head of government Hovik Abrahamyan said that the Spanish construction company has become a real evil for the highway "North- South. "Abrahamyan said about the financial problems of the Spanish company and that the Ararat road is still" in the problems and made poor. "" There are some problems with this company and I do not know with whom: They say there is no money, They were just taken away, "Abrahamyan instructed, in addition to information in the media that because of the" Armenian traditional "corruption, the Spaniards are not able to carry out the construction of the North-South road, information has also appeared that against the Spanish organization A criminal case was opened, which was confirmed in the Ministry of Finance ac ross. The Ministry reported that "on October 10th 2014. On the second part of the 205th article of the RA Criminal Code, a criminal case was instituted in connection with tax evasion on a particularly large scale by the Armenian branch of the joint-stock company Corsan Corviam. At the same time, the Ministry of Transport recorded deficiencies for which the Spanish company was fined $ 5.7 million. Now the works are being carried out according to the schedule. However, today the Minister of Transport assures that today the quality of work of the construction company does not cause censures. The other day the minister visited the Ashtarak- Tallinn section and did not note any criticism from both engineers and specialists from the Ministry and the BCP. "Works on the Yerevan-Ashtarak section will be completed in autumn 2017," Vahan Martirosyan assured. It should be noted that on June 27 at the budget hearings in the parliament Gagik Grigoryan, the first deputy minister of transport, communications and information technologies of Armenia, stated that the North- South highway is ahead of schedule. According to him, instead of the planned 17.3 billion drams already used 24 billion drams. Work on the first tranche (Tranche 1), envisaged for the Yerevan-Artashat and Yerevan-Ashtarak sections is almost complete, on the route Ashtarak-Talin (Tranche 2) work is still under way. In the third section (Tranche 3) of Talin-Gyumri, excavation work is carried out and a trial laying of concrete is under way. The construction of the highway "North-South" with a total length of 556 km will provide access to the Black Sea and European countries through the territory of Armenia (Meghri-Kapan-Goris-Yerevan- Ashtarak-Gyumri-Bavra) and Georgia. The $ 1 billion investment program is aimed at securing the connection between the north (the border with Georgia) and southern Armenia (the border with Iran) through transport communications that meet high international standards and access to world markets. The road will be covered with concrete. To implement the project, Armenia raised a loan from the Asian Development Bank in the amount of $ 500 million. Another $ 150 million will be provided by the Eurasian Development Bank. The Armenian side also attracted 60 million euros from the European Investment Bank for the implementation of the project. The construction of the corridor is planned to be completed in 2019. Under the "North-South" program, the Armenian government calculated the preliminary savings of $ 2.5 per hour for each passenger and $ 1 per hour for transporting a ton of cargo. As the authorities of Armenia expect, the program will allow the country in the future to mitigate the consequences of the blockade on the part of Azerbaijan and Turkey, to play the role of a transit state in the freight transportation of the countries of the region, and also to join the Black Sea ring highway.