Tweet
ECONOMIC MINISTER TOOK PART IN BAKU-HOSTED MEETING ON BTK RAILROAD
Mari Imedashvili
Georgian Business Week
Monday, October 12, 2009 - 06:55
Progress has been reported on 600m USD project to extend rail service
to Turkey that would link Georgia to Turkey and the European rail
network. The coordination council for the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad
announced Oct. 9 that the construction company entrusted to complete
the project will be announced soon.
With rehabilitation reconstruction and construction of new connecting
railway line from Georgia's Marabda to the border of Turkey on the
agenda, the bilateral council's seventh meeting was held in the
Azerbaijani capital.
The Georgian Economic Minister, his Azeri counterpart as well as heads
of railway departments of both countries attended the meeting. The
Georgian delegation was led by the Minister of Economic Development
Zurab Pololikashvili.
According to ministry's press statement posted on its website,
Azeroshaat Service Construction Company and LTD Marabda-Krtsanisi
railroad project management group presented information about the
work already completed and the future priorities. Projects for the
second stage of the project were also discussed.
"This has been the seventh meeting already," said Mamuka Vatsadze, head
of transport in the Ministry of Economic Development. "It was important
that a tender was announced on the construction-rehabilitation of
Marabda-Tetrtskharo segment."
In his opinion, it is also important that Marabda-kartsakhi railroad
project group was commissioned to revise the project and present the
final version of the remaining two segments.
"Construction is going on progressively and I am sure that the
construction works will meet the deadline," Vatsadze said.
The project involves 98 kilometers of new track to be built between
Kars in eastern Turkey and Akhalkalaki in Georgia. Some 68 kilometers
will be in Turkey with the remaining 30 kilometers in Georgia. The
existing line from Akhalkalaki on to
The new railroad is intended to provide an alternative route to the
existing Kars Gyumri Akhalkalaki (Turkey-Armenia- Georgia) railway
line which has been out of operation since 1993, when Turkey closed
its border with Armenia in solidarity with Azerbaijan which went to
war with Armenia over the breakway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
A multi-lateral agreement to build the strategically important rail
link was signed by the three countries in 2005. The European Union
and the United States, however, have refused to support the project
since the railroad bypasses Armenia.
Azerbaijan is providing a 220m USD loan, repayable in 25 years,
with an annual interest rate of 1 percent for the Georgian segment
of the railroad.
Construction works are scheduled to end in this year with the railway
opening by next year.
Mari Imedashvili
Georgian Business Week
Monday, October 12, 2009 - 06:55
Progress has been reported on 600m USD project to extend rail service
to Turkey that would link Georgia to Turkey and the European rail
network. The coordination council for the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad
announced Oct. 9 that the construction company entrusted to complete
the project will be announced soon.
With rehabilitation reconstruction and construction of new connecting
railway line from Georgia's Marabda to the border of Turkey on the
agenda, the bilateral council's seventh meeting was held in the
Azerbaijani capital.
The Georgian Economic Minister, his Azeri counterpart as well as heads
of railway departments of both countries attended the meeting. The
Georgian delegation was led by the Minister of Economic Development
Zurab Pololikashvili.
According to ministry's press statement posted on its website,
Azeroshaat Service Construction Company and LTD Marabda-Krtsanisi
railroad project management group presented information about the
work already completed and the future priorities. Projects for the
second stage of the project were also discussed.
"This has been the seventh meeting already," said Mamuka Vatsadze, head
of transport in the Ministry of Economic Development. "It was important
that a tender was announced on the construction-rehabilitation of
Marabda-Tetrtskharo segment."
In his opinion, it is also important that Marabda-kartsakhi railroad
project group was commissioned to revise the project and present the
final version of the remaining two segments.
"Construction is going on progressively and I am sure that the
construction works will meet the deadline," Vatsadze said.
The project involves 98 kilometers of new track to be built between
Kars in eastern Turkey and Akhalkalaki in Georgia. Some 68 kilometers
will be in Turkey with the remaining 30 kilometers in Georgia. The
existing line from Akhalkalaki on to
The new railroad is intended to provide an alternative route to the
existing Kars Gyumri Akhalkalaki (Turkey-Armenia- Georgia) railway
line which has been out of operation since 1993, when Turkey closed
its border with Armenia in solidarity with Azerbaijan which went to
war with Armenia over the breakway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
A multi-lateral agreement to build the strategically important rail
link was signed by the three countries in 2005. The European Union
and the United States, however, have refused to support the project
since the railroad bypasses Armenia.
Azerbaijan is providing a 220m USD loan, repayable in 25 years,
with an annual interest rate of 1 percent for the Georgian segment
of the railroad.
Construction works are scheduled to end in this year with the railway
opening by next year.