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The Messenger, Georgia
Oct 22 2004
Southern route
According to the Russian newspaper Gudok, Russian Minister of
Transport Igor Levitin has been carrying out a working trip to the
Caucasus countries. After Armenia, he visited Azerbaijan, where he
continued negotiations regarding the opening of railway across the
entire Caucasus. According to him, there is a large volume of
transportation in the region of the South Caucasus.
The newspaper writes that although it is impossible to reach the same
volume of transportation as was during the Soviet Union, the
transportation of 15 million tons of cargo per year is a real
possibility. During the negotiation with the Azeri President Ilham
Aliev and Azeri Minister of Transport Zia Mamedov, Igor Levitin
offered to renew the Sochi-Baku railway through Georgia.
"If it were possible to renew the movement according to this route,
we would be able to transport a large volume of cargo, perhaps in the
millions of tons," he said, adding that this would certainly be
possible if an agreement between Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia could
be reached.
The minister stressed that the railways must be kept out of politics.
"These routes came to us from the big country in which we lived
together. If there is political will, and the meetings with the Azeri
president and Azerbaijan leadership showed us that there is, then it
is necessary to put political issues aside and to build
non-territorial transport links," noted Levitin.
According to the paper, the Sochi-Sukhumi railway is operating at the
present time and is in good condition. The prospects of continuing
the route through Georgian territory is dependent only on the
political will of all the sides.
Oct 22 2004
Southern route
According to the Russian newspaper Gudok, Russian Minister of
Transport Igor Levitin has been carrying out a working trip to the
Caucasus countries. After Armenia, he visited Azerbaijan, where he
continued negotiations regarding the opening of railway across the
entire Caucasus. According to him, there is a large volume of
transportation in the region of the South Caucasus.
The newspaper writes that although it is impossible to reach the same
volume of transportation as was during the Soviet Union, the
transportation of 15 million tons of cargo per year is a real
possibility. During the negotiation with the Azeri President Ilham
Aliev and Azeri Minister of Transport Zia Mamedov, Igor Levitin
offered to renew the Sochi-Baku railway through Georgia.
"If it were possible to renew the movement according to this route,
we would be able to transport a large volume of cargo, perhaps in the
millions of tons," he said, adding that this would certainly be
possible if an agreement between Russia, Azerbaijan and Georgia could
be reached.
The minister stressed that the railways must be kept out of politics.
"These routes came to us from the big country in which we lived
together. If there is political will, and the meetings with the Azeri
president and Azerbaijan leadership showed us that there is, then it
is necessary to put political issues aside and to build
non-territorial transport links," noted Levitin.
According to the paper, the Sochi-Sukhumi railway is operating at the
present time and is in good condition. The prospects of continuing
the route through Georgian territory is dependent only on the
political will of all the sides.