ARMENIAN PRESIDENT CAN NOT SAY WHEN THE RAILWAY THROUGH ABKHAZIA MAY BE REACTIVATED
YEREVAN, March 19. / ARKA /. In an interview with Armenian journalists
on Monday Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan said he hopes very much
for reactivating a railway through Abkhazia connecting Georgia as well
as Armenia to Russia, but added he could not say when it may happen.
"There are problems related to Georgian, Abkhazia and Russia. Armenia
does not create problems and our desire for the railway to reopen is
very big,' Sargsyan said.
Sargsyan said during his meeting with Russian president Vladimir
Putin in Moscow on March 12, Putin told him that on the same day he
was to meet with Abkhazian president Alexander Ankvab and discuss
this issue with him.
"After their meeting we received a signal that there is a positive
attitude, and efforts should be made to solve this key problem,"
Sargsyan said.
Serzh Sargsyan also noted that Armenian business people pay $190 for
importing or exporting one ton of goods to Russia which he described as
'awfully big price.'
During his visit to Yerevan on January 17, Georgia's prime minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili said that Tbilisi was ready to discuss the
possibility of reactivating the railway through Abkhazia, which was
interrupted as a result of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in 1992-1993,
but after the normalization of relations with Russia.
"Georgia and Armenia have no problems. We had serious problems with
Russia, which remain to this day. We hope and try to normalize our
relations with Russia as quickly as possible. The most problematic
issues are connected to the territorial integrity of Georgia, "
he said.
In response to this, Abkhazia's president said he did not see prospects
for reactivation of the railway through Abkhazia.' -0-
YEREVAN, March 19. / ARKA /. In an interview with Armenian journalists
on Monday Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan said he hopes very much
for reactivating a railway through Abkhazia connecting Georgia as well
as Armenia to Russia, but added he could not say when it may happen.
"There are problems related to Georgian, Abkhazia and Russia. Armenia
does not create problems and our desire for the railway to reopen is
very big,' Sargsyan said.
Sargsyan said during his meeting with Russian president Vladimir
Putin in Moscow on March 12, Putin told him that on the same day he
was to meet with Abkhazian president Alexander Ankvab and discuss
this issue with him.
"After their meeting we received a signal that there is a positive
attitude, and efforts should be made to solve this key problem,"
Sargsyan said.
Serzh Sargsyan also noted that Armenian business people pay $190 for
importing or exporting one ton of goods to Russia which he described as
'awfully big price.'
During his visit to Yerevan on January 17, Georgia's prime minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili said that Tbilisi was ready to discuss the
possibility of reactivating the railway through Abkhazia, which was
interrupted as a result of the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict in 1992-1993,
but after the normalization of relations with Russia.
"Georgia and Armenia have no problems. We had serious problems with
Russia, which remain to this day. We hope and try to normalize our
relations with Russia as quickly as possible. The most problematic
issues are connected to the territorial integrity of Georgia, "
he said.
In response to this, Abkhazia's president said he did not see prospects
for reactivation of the railway through Abkhazia.' -0-