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The Messenger, Georgia
Nov 30 2004
Georgia, Azerbaijan discuss Red Bridge border closure
Officials in Tbilisi say rail traffic already restored and detained
freight flowing into Georgia
By Anna Arzanova
Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Georgia HE Ramiz Hasanov met with Georgian
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikheil Ukleba on November 29 to
discuss the several hundred freight cars being held up at the
Georgia-Azerbaijan border.
The rail-freight, excluding oil products, had been detained by the
Azeri side for over ten days now because of Azeri suspicions that
some of the cargo is destined for Armenia.
While Georgian media has reported there are more than 900 train cars
waiting to cross the border, Ambassador Hasanov said that the number
was in fact much lower.
"There are about 300 train cars loaded with different cargoes, and of
these only one or two belong to Georgia," the ambassador told
journalists on Tuesday.
He also sought to downplay the amount of time the Georgian cars have
been waiting, saying that they "could have been lost somewhere," and
stressing that "now the Customs Departments are working on this issue
and there won't be any more questions regarding this."
The Azerbaijani ambassador confirmed that the cargo destined for
Georgia and other countries is being held by customs officials
because of the belief that some of the cargo is in fact bound for
Armenia.
Azerbaijan and Georgia signed an agreement in June this year, an
agreement that has been ratified in Baku but not in Tbilisi, that no
cargo transported from Azerbaijan to Georgia would then continue to
any third country that would damage Azerbaijan, a tacit ban on
transshipping to Armenia.
"There is an agreement regarding the transit of cargo cross the
Azeri-Georgian border and we want all aspects of the agreement to be
fulfilled," Hasanov explained.
"Imagine if we started supplying diesel fuel or some other product to
Abkhazia or South Ossetia: do you think this would infringe upon the
national interests of Georgia? Of course it would," Hasanov said.
The ambassador said that both sides had reached an understanding of
this issue at his meeting with Ukleba and that Azerbaijan had
informed Georgia that no cargo bound for Georgia will be stopped.
"This is really the case. We reached an agreement and specialists
from our customs committee will arrive tomorrow. They will work
together with the specialists of the customs department of Georgia.
We cannot be sure where these train cars are destined, which is why
they were stopped." stated Hasanov, explaining that specialists of
customs committee will determine where each train car is bound.
Speaking with the media on Monday, Deputy Minister Ukleba said that
train cars have already begun crossing the border, and confirmed that
representatives of the Azeri customs department would arrive on
Wednesday.
"After discussion of this issue there will be a decision regarding
the renewal of cargo transportation to Georgia, to wherever the
documents say it is destined," Ukleba said.
Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said that the government is working on
the issue. "I would not dramatize this issue because our appropriate
structures are working together with Azeri structures. I do not
expect that this problem will be aggravated," he stated on Monday.
Also on Monday, the commercial director of the Georgian Railways
Ramaz Giorgadze left for Baku to negotiate with colleagues there.
Nov 30 2004
Georgia, Azerbaijan discuss Red Bridge border closure
Officials in Tbilisi say rail traffic already restored and detained
freight flowing into Georgia
By Anna Arzanova
Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Georgia HE Ramiz Hasanov met with Georgian
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Mikheil Ukleba on November 29 to
discuss the several hundred freight cars being held up at the
Georgia-Azerbaijan border.
The rail-freight, excluding oil products, had been detained by the
Azeri side for over ten days now because of Azeri suspicions that
some of the cargo is destined for Armenia.
While Georgian media has reported there are more than 900 train cars
waiting to cross the border, Ambassador Hasanov said that the number
was in fact much lower.
"There are about 300 train cars loaded with different cargoes, and of
these only one or two belong to Georgia," the ambassador told
journalists on Tuesday.
He also sought to downplay the amount of time the Georgian cars have
been waiting, saying that they "could have been lost somewhere," and
stressing that "now the Customs Departments are working on this issue
and there won't be any more questions regarding this."
The Azerbaijani ambassador confirmed that the cargo destined for
Georgia and other countries is being held by customs officials
because of the belief that some of the cargo is in fact bound for
Armenia.
Azerbaijan and Georgia signed an agreement in June this year, an
agreement that has been ratified in Baku but not in Tbilisi, that no
cargo transported from Azerbaijan to Georgia would then continue to
any third country that would damage Azerbaijan, a tacit ban on
transshipping to Armenia.
"There is an agreement regarding the transit of cargo cross the
Azeri-Georgian border and we want all aspects of the agreement to be
fulfilled," Hasanov explained.
"Imagine if we started supplying diesel fuel or some other product to
Abkhazia or South Ossetia: do you think this would infringe upon the
national interests of Georgia? Of course it would," Hasanov said.
The ambassador said that both sides had reached an understanding of
this issue at his meeting with Ukleba and that Azerbaijan had
informed Georgia that no cargo bound for Georgia will be stopped.
"This is really the case. We reached an agreement and specialists
from our customs committee will arrive tomorrow. They will work
together with the specialists of the customs department of Georgia.
We cannot be sure where these train cars are destined, which is why
they were stopped." stated Hasanov, explaining that specialists of
customs committee will determine where each train car is bound.
Speaking with the media on Monday, Deputy Minister Ukleba said that
train cars have already begun crossing the border, and confirmed that
representatives of the Azeri customs department would arrive on
Wednesday.
"After discussion of this issue there will be a decision regarding
the renewal of cargo transportation to Georgia, to wherever the
documents say it is destined," Ukleba said.
Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania said that the government is working on
the issue. "I would not dramatize this issue because our appropriate
structures are working together with Azeri structures. I do not
expect that this problem will be aggravated," he stated on Monday.
Also on Monday, the commercial director of the Georgian Railways
Ramaz Giorgadze left for Baku to negotiate with colleagues there.