VALLEY REFUGEES CELEBRATE THEIR MANY CULTURES: FORUM SPONSORS GATHERING AT FAIRGROUNDS
by Charles McCarthy, The Fresno Bee, Calif.
The Fresno Bee (California)
August 27, 2006 Sunday
Aug. 27–Some 20 dancers in traditional Hmong clothing watched Saturday
as a group of Vietnamese performers danced to Southeast Asian music.
Both groups had earlier watched as two young folks with Armenian names
and a music teacher from Belarus sang the haunting Russian classic
“Otchitchornyia,” known in English as “Dark Eyes.”
It was a small part of the Refugee Recognition program at the Fresno
Fairgrounds sponsored by the Central California Forum on Refugee
Affairs.
The forum’s chairwoman, the Rev. Sharon Stanley, estimated that
more than 350 people attended the four-hour event that featured
a lunch of various ethnic foods, tables with displays such as
wooden hand-painted Russian nesting dolls, information booths and
cross-cultural entertainment.
Stanley, founder of the Fresno Interdenominational Refugee Ministries,
showed letters of recognition from federal and state legislators. She
introduced one of the day’s award winners, Houa Lee, who held a trophy
for arts and performance.
Other awards were for leadership, education and business. The
refugee affairs forum calls itself a community-based nonprofit. It
was established in 1979.
The forum’s goals are the promotion of understanding between refugees
and the community, promotion of empowerment and self-determination
for refugees, and encouragement of cross-cultural awareness.
Jessy Mai, 14, and his 6-year-old cousin Stephanie Nguyen arrived after
lunch and watched the cultural dances and singing. Their parents came
to the United States from Vietnam about 20 years ago, Jessy said.
“My parents want us to have a better life,” he said. “Our parents,
they had a rough life in Vietnam.”
Bart and Loanne Fielder were there to watch two of their three
daughters in a Vietnamese dance. Loanne Fielder immigrated 20 years
ago from Vietnam. Their three daughters were born in the United States,
but Loanne Fielder said, “I want them to know where they came from.”
All three girls are learning the Vietnamese language and their cultural
heritage, Bart Fielder said.
Around a corner in the fairgrounds’ Commerce Building, Irina Kosterin
sat behind a Russian, Slavic and Ukrainian display of brightly painted
wooden nesting dolls. Kosterin, who came from southern Russia, has
been in the U.S. for 14 years.
“It’s nice to have … traditional festivals,” she said.
She wants her children, 11-year-old Antony and 6-year-old Cristina,
to be multilingual.
“They attend Russian school in a Ukrainian church,” she said. “They
speak Spanish, too.”
After they finished their performance, “Dark Eyes” trio member Ruzan
Orkusyan said she sings in English, Russian and Armenian.
And, she said, “I’m learning Spanish.”

ASIAN BANK FOR RECONSTRUCTION TO INVEST IN LORI-BERD HYDROELECTRIC POWER PLANT CONSTRUCTION
ArmRadio.am
28.08.2006 10:46
The Asian Bank for Reconstruction has expressed preliminary readiness
to invest in the construction of Lori-Berd hydroelectric power plant,
Head of the Foreign Relations Development Agency of the Ministry
of Energy Levon Vardanyan told ArmInfo. In his words, the bank’s
mission will arrive in Armenian early September. Among others, the
opportunity of providing credit for Lori-Berd hydroelectric power
plant will be discussed.
The project will cost 80 million Euros.

DAVID NALBANDYAN RANKS 4TH AMONG BEST TENNIS PLAYERS OF THE WORLD
ArmRadio.am
28.08.2006 12:13
With 363 points Argentinean Armenian tennis player David Nalbandyan
ranks 4th in the list of the best tennis players of the world, issued
today by the Professional Tennis Association.
The first in the list is Roger Federer with 1 129 points. Spanish
Rafael Nadal ranks 2nd with 775 points. Ivan Lyubichich of Croatia
is the third with 415 points.

Dr. Oya AKGONENC: No troops to the Lebanon war zone
Turkish Daily News
Aug 26, 2006
Finally, after long negotiations and delays, a cease-fire was announced
on the Lebanese-Israeli front. There were a number of violations of
the cease-fire soon after its start. The United Nations is calling
for a peacekeeping force to help stabilize the situation in the
region. About 30,000 U.N. soldiers are needed for the operation, of
which 15,000 were expected to be provided by Lebanon and the rest by
the international community.
Israel declared that they will not pull their troops out of southern
Lebanon until the U.N. force is in place on the Lebanese soil. This
force is not ready, and from the delays it won’t be ready for a while.
Many European and Asian states have been indicating their willingness
to send troops to the U.N. peacekeeping force. France was the first
one to show willingness to lead the forces and contribute a relatively
large contingency.
Yet, within a week’s time and after much discussion in France it
reduced its commitment to 200 military engineers. (Author’s note: on
Aug. 24, 2006, President Jacques Chirac again changed his mind and
announced the French contingency as 2,000 troops, after receiving
additional guarantees and further details of the mandate from the
United Nations. A little bit of competition from Italy may also have
been a factor in this quick volte-face). Likewise, Germany was equally
careful about its commitments. Germany was concerned about the memories
of World War II clouding the relations and the peacekeeping efforts
in the region. Thus, Germany clearly refused to send combat troops
but offered some other form of help.
Although at the beginning a number of European states demonstrated
willingness, presently less enthusiasm is forthcoming from these
groups. Israel suggested Italy to lead the U.N. troops. At first,
Italy was enthusiastic about the idea, yet within days Italy began
to ask for clarification of the U.N.
mandate and possibly a new U.N. resolution clearly stating the rights
and obligations of the U.N. force as well as the rules and conditions
of violation of the cease-fire. Other European Union nations showed
hesitancy in sending troops to Lebanon under the present conditions.
Some Middle Eastern and Asian countries such a Malaysia, Indonesia,
Bangladesh and others also indicated willingness but have not committed
themselves so far. There is a lot of pressure on Turkey to send troops
to Lebanon as well.
There was news in the American and Israeli press indicating the
willingness of the Turkish government and even suggesting as many as
5,000 troops to be committed to the cease-fire. Yet so far no official
decision has been made on the issue. Even though this topic was on
the agenda of the National Security Council (MGK), no clear decision
or even a suggested road map came out of this meeting.
Pros and cons of such a commitment for Turkey:
Turkish people were deeply affected by the scenes of war and
destruction and indiscriminate loss of life caused by Israeli
bombing. The public came to dislike very strongly the indiscriminate
and disproportionate use of force by Israel and showed their
protest to such behavior though public rallies, photo exhibitions,
demonstrations and public declaration. Public speakers called for
ending the hostilities and stopping the unlimited destruction of the
cities, towns and the infrastructure in the region.
Turkey has historical and cultural ties with the region and its people.
Turkey cannot be expected to be indifferent to the needs and problems
of the region and tolerate the destruction of the inhabitants of the
region regardless of their sects or religion.
On the other hand Turkey is a strategic partner of Israel and allows
Israel to use the airspace over the Konya plateau for their air
force maneuvers.
Turkey is considered as an important player in Middle Eastern
politics. The United States had encouraged and pressed Turkey into
closer political and military ties with Israel. Thus, under all these
conditions it would be better for Turkey to keep its troops away from
the war zone to keep its neutrality and credibility in the area.
The rules of the U.N. mandate are not so clear in U.N. Resolution 1701.
Articles such as 8 and 11 clearly indicate that only Lebanese and
UNIFIL forces will be allowed to carry arms and that all other armed
forces in Lebanon will be disarmed in accordance with the rules laid
down earlier with Taif implementations and the rules of resolutions
1559 and 1680.
All different parties, be they Shia, Sunni, Druze or others, don’t want
Hezbollah forces to be disarmed for the security of Lebanon. Besides,
Hezbollah is part of the present Lebanese government. So what would be
the clear and precise role and duty of the international peacekeeping
force and how will they implement these rules? Turkey has to know
clearly what the conditions are before deciding on committing itself
to the troop deployment.
There are other considerations to be reckoned with, such as the
opposition of the Armenian Dashnak organization in Lebanon, to the
participation of Turkish troops. There are other local groups that are
uncomfortable with Turkish troops in the Middle East. An open letter to
the prime minister of Turkey has been sent from an important think tank
in Beirut asking him not to sent troops. Lebanon is the host country,
and one has to take into consideration the view of the country where
the troops will be stationed.
On the other hand while being a strategic partner with Israel,
how will Turkey diplomatically win over the confidence of the Arab
states? Turkey has to weigh the results of each step it takes in
regards to the different interest groups and interested parties in
the region.
More important of all, by participating in the peacekeeping force,
would Turkey be trapping itself in an upcoming war with Iran, despite
its desire to keep out of such a struggle? Turkey has to be doubly
careful to see where each step it takes will lead.
On the domestic front there is much opposition from various groups
within the entire spectrum of political parties, from left to right,
from intellectuals and writers, unions and NGOs who oppose the presence
of our military in the Lebanese-Israeli war zone. It is seen by most as
siding and helping Israel and its main supporter, the United States,
to change and damage the region by their declared goal of redrawing
national boundaries. One wonders whether despite such strong internal
opposition the Turkish government should or would still insist on
sending troops to Lebanon.
Their final decision is yet uncertain. Yet there are regional,
international and especially domestic forces at work that will
influence the decision.
Turkey should consider other forms of help and contributions to
peace in the area such as sending help in the reconstruction of
the infrastructure, medical help such as drugs and doctors, food
and clothing, yet stay away from military commitments just as most
European states are presently doing.
Associate Professor Oya Akgonenc is a former deputy of the Saadet
(Happiness or Contentment) Party (SP). She can be contacted at
[email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected])
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Why should Europeans protect Israel?
By ROBERT FISK
The Independent – United Kingdom; Aug 26, 2006
First, it was to be a15,000-strong foreign army to reinforce the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, Unifil. Now it is to be
about 7,500. And it will not disarm Hizbollah. And anyway, Hizbollah
refuses to be disarmed.
The French would send 200 men’ then they sent 400. Then the
Italians would send 3,000. Then the French would send another 2,000,
making their total contribution 2,600, including the company that
has remained in Unifil since the French were hurled out of the
peacekeeping organisation back in 1986 after fighting Shia militias
in the Lebanese village of Marrake (of which no mention will be made,
any more than it is on the BBC). And now the Belgians might send
700. And the Turks? Well, the Lebanese Armenians are objecting to
their contribution on the grounds – perfectly accurate, though the
BBC will not tell you this – that the Turkish army perpetrated the
genocide of one and a half million Christian Armenians in 1915. Oh,
what a wondrous plot we weave when first we practise to deceive.
This, of course, applies to everyone in the Lebanese
swamp. Self-deception – or self-delusion – has become a cancer
throughout both the Middle East and the west’ and amid the EU countries
that are now bidding to send their young men to sacrifice their lives
in Lebanon. They are going to preserve peace, we are told’ they are
going to maintain a ceasefire’ they are going to save lives.
So a big Ho-Ho-Ho from the world of reality. The enlarged Nato/Unifil
force is not going to preserve “peace”. It is going to maintain a
“buffer” zone to protect Israel after the latter’s dismal failure to
destroy, disarm and liquidate the Iranian-armed Hizbollah guerrilla
army over the past seven weeks.
The UN may deny that it is a buffer zone for the Israelis – but if it
was a buffer zone to protect Lebanese (the numerically higher victims
of this latest war), it would be based, surely, inside the Israeli
frontier. But no, it is there to protect Israel.
Note how the Arabs have accepted this. Note how we have accepted this –
how we have sublimely gone along with the idea that Israel’s security
and happiness are more important than the security and happiness of
the millions of Muslims also living in this region. Our soldiers are
to be deployed to protect Israel. Do we really think that the Arabs
don’t realise this? And do we think that our western governments don’t
realise this when they huff and puff over whether to send soldiers
to the Middle East?
Needless to say, the Americans and the British want no part of
this mess.
After Iraq and Afghanistan, they have no stomach to defend Israel,
let alone Lebanon. Their job is to push the European masses into the
bog they have created by their injustice and cowardice in the Middle
East. President Bush promises “intelligence” assistance to the Unifil
force – which means Israeli “intelligence”, and we all know how good
that is – while Lord Blair of Kut al-Amara offers not a single hero
to give his life, which is as well after his out-rageous sacrifice
of British troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
But while Europe’s other political masters dithered this week, BBC
World Service laid down a familiar narrative for its listeners. “It
seems,” said their man on The World Today, that the Europeans – how I
hate these cheap clichs – “are prepared to talk the talk but not walk
the walk.” In other words, those bloody Wops and Frogs and Boche,
not to mention the Dagos and the ungrateful Finns and Norwegians,
were gutless little chicken shit when it came to standing by their
European principles.
Those principles, it is now clear, are supposed to be the sacrifice of
their soldiers’ lives for the latest UN Security Council Resolution
cooked up by America and France (and, a bit, by Lord Blair) in New
York. But the BBC got it completely wrong. The Europeans are not
nervous about military losses or unclear mandates. They had plenty
of both in Bosnia.
What is happening in Europe is that a growing number of states that
had nothing to do with the Balfour Declaration or the Sykes-Picot
agreement or the 1948 Middle East war or the 1967 Middle East war or
the 1973 Middle East war or the 1982 Middle East war in Lebanon or the
1993 Israeli bombardment of Lebanon or the 1996 Israeli bombardment
of Lebanon or the latest 2006 bombardment and “petit” invasion of
Lebanon (after Hizbol-lah’s outrageous provocation by crossing the
international frontier) are simply sick and tired of clearing up the
dirt after these filthy Arab-Israeli wars.
Most of Europe had no part in the Balfour Declaration. Much of Europe
had an unforgivable role in the Jewish Holocaust. But the decades pass
by, and the generations now being asked to sail to the Middle East
do not even have parental guilt to absolve for the genocide of the
Jews of Europe, any more than modern Turks can be proclaimed guilty
for their grandparents’ rape and murder of one and a half million
Armenians. The Europeans, to put it mildly, are tired of being asked
to atone for the sins of their grandparents. Maybe it is time, they
are asking, for the Israelis and Arabs to pay for their own sick wars.
There is nothing immoral in this. President Bush claims that
the Israelis won their war against the Hizbollah and humbled the
organisation’s supporters in Iran and Syria. Yet not even the Israelis
claim this.
Now the Europeans – and perhaps the Turks, and certainly the poor
old Lebanese army -are supposed to achieve all Israel’s failed
objectives. And when they fail – as they assuredly will, because
Nato is not going to go to war with Islam – Israel will accuse them
of abandoning poor little Israel.
The French will be reminded – as they were under the first Unifil
mandate – that Vichy France handed its Jews to the Nazis, and
the Belgians will be reminded (no doubt) that half their country
was pro-Nazi and the Italians will be reminded that they elected
fascism into power, and the Spaniards will be reminded that Franco
was a fascist.
And the Arabs will sit silently by and watch the Europeans betray
them all over again. And the winners? Syria. Iran. And all those
enraged by the injustice and hypocrisy of our “democracies”.
The enlarged Nato/Unifil force is not going to preserve ‘ peace’

Man convicted in road-rage killing of US documentary filmmaker
AP Worldstream; Aug 26, 2006
A former truck driver who was arrested in Armenia and returned to
California was convicted of first-degree murder for a vicious freeway
road-rage killing of documentary filmmaker Michael Craven.
Jurors deliberated for more than two hours Friday before reaching
a decision. They also convicted Shahen Eghia Keshishian, 34, of
vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and leaving the scene
of an accident.
He is scheduled to be sentenced Sept. 27.
Keshishian ran down Craven, 44, with a black GMC Suburban on April
29, 2000. The killing came after a road rage confrontation along the
Hollywood Freeway.
Craven had been driving on the freeway after dinner with a friend
when the Suburban pulled up and eggs were thrown. One of the drivers
had apparently cut in front of the other.
Authorities believe Craven pulled to the side of the freeway to
confront Keshishian, who stopped behind him. A passenger in the
Suburban then threw a beer bottle at Craven’s Jeep.
Craven was then run over and he died a short time later at a hospital.
Keshishian was charged June 23, 2000, with Craven’s slaying, and
charged separately by federal authorities in November 2000 with
unlawful flight to avoid prosecution.
Keshishian was hiding in Armenia and was arrested in late 2004 for
overstaying his visa. He was subsequently extradited to the United
States.
Glendale police said his extradition marked the first time someone
from Armenia was handed to U.S. authorities to be returned to face
criminal charges.

“CRIMINAL” IS THE PROBLEM
Aram Abrahamian
Aravot.am
25 Aug 06
Politicians and political analysts often complain of criminalization
of the political field in connection with the latest “strengthening”
of Republican.
There is a reason for anxiety. We should simply make clear what they
mean saying ”criminal”.
A person who has committed a crime and been punished may be called
a ”criminal”. Head of the district of Davitashen Ruben Gevorgian
/Tsaghik Rubo/ is classical example who has committed a murder decades
before, has acknowledged his guilt and punished.
Those who have committed crimes but haven’t been punished are also
” criminals”. For example, nowadays leaders of Dashnaktsutiun,
I’m deeply sure they have made their subordinates for terrorism and
murders during the previous authority. A part of killers are still
imprisoned but those who have ordered them are in free.
The word ”Criminal” will match those who commit crimes everyday
and aren’t punished for it. If not paying taxes is a crime,
nowadays businessmen are all criminals. More impudent of them beat
and engage in terror people themselves or with the help of their
guards. Consequently, they are double criminals.
But they activities would be impossible without tax and customs
services, police, prosecutor’s office, courts and the whole criminal
state system.
Consequently the word “criminal” is Utopism. Criminal is everywhere
in every possible and impossible areas. As it is spoken about
parliamentary elections, so we must try to put mental and civil
qualification for the pretenders of that work. So I ask all candidates
for the post of deputies to write a dictation on Armenian language
for 8-form pupils. If they get a satisfied mark, let them continue
the fight, if not, they should study.
The point isn’t that a person has a “Jeep”. The point is that the
owner of that “Jeep” sends his son to school by three jeeps: one
is for the son, other two are for guards. Having millions he keeps
remaining an intruder. So we can reformulate the slogan in this way:
”Let’s not allow the entrance of intruders into parliament”.
–Boundary_(ID_BqTcyalgjv eeD8DNOZfgPQ)–

“CADRE SLAUGHTER”
Anna Israelian
Aravot.am
25 Aug 06
Suren Mamikonian, the head of NA juridical service, RA qualification
arbiter of highest class marks.
”I have substantiated during my conversation with NA chairman
Tigran Torosian that NA chief of personnel Haik Kotanian’s signed
notification about dismissal of state employees is legally imperfect
and illiterate document”, – Mr. Mamikonian said. He also mentioned
that he had worked in the court system for 15 years “and I declare
that I will have to turn to the court in case of not stopping illegal
actions in the NA personnel.”
The document made by this service had been published in “Aravot”,
and Tigran Torosian has mentioned on this occasion that service didn’t
have a function of giving conclusion. While Suren Mamikonian mentioned
that giving legal opinion is a usual function. This time the document
refers to the process of mass dismissal.
He added that these attempts of dismissal aren’t innovations: ”The
head of personnel was trying to make cadre changes in the way of
personnel reformation.
” But the produced proposals were refused by their specialized
conclusions as “they couldn’t help the effectiveness of the RA
legislative body’s personnel.
He also mentioned that ” it is written in the 34th article of the
law ” About State employment in the RA NA personnel” that the person
appointed in the post of the head of personnel is unchangeable”. And
that “unchangeable” person make efforts to get rid of the presence
of qualified specialists”.
The NA chairman has declared in the press conference that no dismissed
official has expressed dissatisfaction except Suren Mamikonian. The
latter informed: “I expressed my dissatisfaction during the
consultation held by the NA chairman. I haven’t signed the notification
as I consider it imperfect and full of infringements. I stress with
regret that it is impossible to provide for the effectiveness of work
with that standard of knowledge.”
–Boundary_(ID_IVN9/A35ZJlNDGYwS JVBfw)–

Muslims alarmed over redrawn map for Islamic world
Web posted at: 8/27/2006 3:0:18
Source ::: Internews
WASHINGTON â~@¢ Muslim circles have expressed alarm and disgust at
the publication of a redrawn map of the Islamic world in a journal
closely linked to the US armed forces.
The Armed Forces Journal, which has published the redrawn map of the
world of Islam along with a long explanatory article, is published by
the Army Times Publishing Company, a part of Gannett Company, Inc,
the world’s largest publisher of professional military and defence
periodicals.
The proposed scheme places Pakistan on the chopping block. According
to the plan, “Iran, a state with madcap boundaries, would lose a
great deal of territory to Unified Azerbaijan, Free Kurdistan, the
Arab Shia State and Free Balochistan, but would gain the provinces
around Herat in today’s Afghanistan — a region with a historical
and linguistic affinity for Persia.
“Iran would, in effect, become an ethnic Persian state again, with
the most difficult question being whether or not it should keep the
port of Bandar Abbas or surrender it to the Arab Shia State.
“What Afghanistan would lose to Persia in the west, it would gain in
the east, as Pakistan’s North-west Frontier tribes would be reunited
with their Afghan brethren Pakistan, another unnatural state, would
also lose its Baloch territory to Free Balochistan. The remaining
‘natural’ Pakistan would lie entirely east of the Indus, except
for a westward spur near Karachi. “The city-states of the UAE would
have a mixed fate — as they probably will in reality. Some might
be incorporated in the Arab Shia State ringing much of the Persian
Gulf … Since all puritanical cultures are hypocritical, Dubai,
of necessity, would be allowed to retain its playground status for
rich debauchees. Kuwait would remain within its current borders,
as would Oman.”
The redrawn map claims to “redress the wrongs suffered by the most
significant ‘cheated’ population groups, such as the Kurds, Baloch
and Arab Shia, but still fail to account adequately for Middle Eastern
Christians, Bahais, Ismailis, Naqshbandis and many another numerically
lesser minorities.”
It adds that “one haunting wrong can never be redressed with a reward
of territory: The genocide perpetrated against the Armenians by the
dying Ottoman Empire.”
The author, Ralph Peters, argues that even those who abhor the topic
of altering borders would be well-served to engage in an exercise
that attempts to conceive a fairer, if still imperfect, amendment of
national boundaries “between the Bosporus and the Indus.”
According to him, “We are dealing with colossal, man-made deformities
that will not stop generating hatred and violence until they are
corrected. As for those who refuse to ‘think the unthinkable’,
declaring that boundaries must not change and that’s that, it pays
to remember that boundaries have never stopped changing through the
centuries. Borders have never been static, and many frontiers, from
Congo through Kosovo to the Caucasus, are changing even now. Ethnic
cleansing works.”
Peter argues that for Israel to have any hope of living in “reasonable
peace” with its neighbours, it will have to return to its pre-1967
borders, with essential local adjustments for legitimate security
concerns.
He writes that the most “glaring injustice” between the Balkan
Mountains and the Himalayas is the absence of an independent Kurdish
state. There are between 27m and 36 m Kurds living in contiguous
regions in the Middle East.
He calls Iraq an unnatural state and calls for a greater Kurdish
state, which will include Turkish, Syrian and Iranian Kurds. A Free
Kurdistan, stretching from Diyarbakir through Tabriz, would be the
most pro-Western state between Bulgaria and Japan, he adds.
Iraq’s three Sunni-majority provinces might eventually choose to
unify with a Syria that loses its littoral to a Mediterranean-oriented
Greater Lebanon.
The Shia south of old Iraq would form the basis of an Arab Shia State
rimming much of the Persian Gulf. Jordan would retain its current
territory, with some southward expansion at Saudi expense. For its
part, the unnatural state of Saudi Arabia would suffer as great a
dismantling as Pakistan.
–Boundary_(ID_tcRSA/nGW6tl6sk1s8ddeQ)- –

China Joins Kars-Tbilisi-Baku Railway Project
By Erdal Sen, Anka
Zaman Online, Turkey
Aug. 26, 2006
zaman.com
Seen as an important bridge for the transfer of energy resources from
Central Asia and the Caucuses to the rest of the world, Turkey is
taking significant steps toward reinforcing its strategic position
in the world.
With the construction of the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway, originally
brought to the agenda in 1960, Turkey will become a major transfer
route between Asia and Europe.
Regarding the project, scheduled for launch in 2007, Zaman conducted
an interview with Turkish Minister of Transport Binali Yildirim,
who revealed that Kazakhstan and China have also joined the project.
When completed, the project will be a modern version of the Silk
Road, enabling a person in Kars to reach Shanghai or Hong Kong via
Kazakhstan.
The project, which will be linked to the Marmaray Project, will permit
trains departing from Britain to reach China via Turkey non-stop.
The railroad venture will be completed in two years time and will
transport 20 million tons of cargo annually.
Indicating that the former controversy between Turkey and Armenia
stalled the project for years, Yildirim predicted the project would
change the face of the region to a great extent, as well as improving
general conditions.
Yildirim stressed that Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey were working
together to overcome the difficulties negatively affecting the
region’s economy.
“The project will establish a direct link between Turkey and
Azerbaijan. It is crucial that all shipping in the region will reach
Europe and Asia via Turkey,” explained Yildirim.
Railway to Cost $250 million
The transport minister informed Zaman that Turkey would be responsible
for the construction of the 76-kilometer branch that leads to the
Georgian border, while Georgia will undertake the construction of 25
kilometers of track within its borders.
Turkey’s portion of the total cost of the railway project is expected
to total $250 million when completed.
The project was previously shelved due to former Treasury Minister
Kemal Dervis’s refusal to guarantee funding.