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Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Sept 11 2013
11 September 2013 - 11:49am
Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Georgia is currently preparing for the presidential elections on
October 27th. The main rivals - Georgian Dream of Bidzina Ivanishvili
and United National Movement of Mikhail Saakashvili - attentively
follow competitors statements, especially those regarding relations
with Russia and territorial integrity.
Any information leads to a decrease of tension. For example, the
secretary of the Armenian Security Council, Artur Bagdasaryan, stated
that Yerevan and Tbilisi had already agreed on the reconstruction of
direct railway traffic from Russia through the territory of Abkhazia
and Georgia to Armenia. "The Georgian side agreed to this, as well as
the Russian and the Abkhazian sides. However, we should understand that
there are conflicting parties. But there is a political will to open
the railway and develop railway communication," Bagdasaryan stated.
His Georgian colleague, the secretary of the National Security
Council of Georgia and one of the closest supporters of President
Saakashvili, Giga Bokeria, demanded that Ivanishvili's team "deny or
confirm Bagdasaryan's statement." And there were a lot of denials. The
press secretary of Primer said that although the question regarding
direct railway traffic had been discussed, "no decision was made on
the issue." Then, the special envoy of the Premier on settlement of
relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, stated that "the question
of railway traffic wasn't touched on" at his meeting with the deputy
foreign minister of Russia, Grigory Karasin.
However, Ivanishvili's opponents have discussed various conspiracy
theories that the government "secretly intends to reject the
fundamental connection between the reconstruction of traffic and
the returning of Georgian refugees to Abkhazia" which the Georgian
authorities have tried to achieve since Shevardnadze's era.
Bagdasaryan's statement was disapproved by the official Abkhaz
presidential representative, Kristian Bzhania: "The problem of
direct railway traffic through Abkhazia hasn't been discussed at
Russian-Abkhazian or any other meetings for a long time."
However, it is well-known that this topic was discussed by Vladimir
Putin and Serge Sargsyan at their recent meeting. As the result of
the meeting, Armenian President stated that his country intended to
join the Customs Union, while Putin promised to allocate a significant
sum for reconstruction of the Armenian railroads. At the same time,
the Armenian railroads can be effective and important, only if they
are connected with Russia through Georgian and Abkhazia...
At the same time, the statement of joining the CU dissatisfied some
forces in Yerevan, and some people even held protests, demanding
initialing the free trade area agreement with the EU.
The Armenian SC secretary is a smart and well-informed person. He
knows well that Tbilisi and Sukhumi haven't agreed and probably won't
agree by themselves on the direct railway communication. So, Yerevan
made a smart step - it will agree to join the CU, if Moscow convinces
Georgia and Abkhazia to open railway communication which was stopped
in 1992. So, the statement by Bagdasaryan is a message to Moscow,
rather than to Tbilisi or Sukhumi.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/44967.html
Vestnik Kavkaza, Russia
Sept 11 2013
11 September 2013 - 11:49am
Georgy Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively to Vestnik Kavkaza
Georgia is currently preparing for the presidential elections on
October 27th. The main rivals - Georgian Dream of Bidzina Ivanishvili
and United National Movement of Mikhail Saakashvili - attentively
follow competitors statements, especially those regarding relations
with Russia and territorial integrity.
Any information leads to a decrease of tension. For example, the
secretary of the Armenian Security Council, Artur Bagdasaryan, stated
that Yerevan and Tbilisi had already agreed on the reconstruction of
direct railway traffic from Russia through the territory of Abkhazia
and Georgia to Armenia. "The Georgian side agreed to this, as well as
the Russian and the Abkhazian sides. However, we should understand that
there are conflicting parties. But there is a political will to open
the railway and develop railway communication," Bagdasaryan stated.
His Georgian colleague, the secretary of the National Security
Council of Georgia and one of the closest supporters of President
Saakashvili, Giga Bokeria, demanded that Ivanishvili's team "deny or
confirm Bagdasaryan's statement." And there were a lot of denials. The
press secretary of Primer said that although the question regarding
direct railway traffic had been discussed, "no decision was made on
the issue." Then, the special envoy of the Premier on settlement of
relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, stated that "the question
of railway traffic wasn't touched on" at his meeting with the deputy
foreign minister of Russia, Grigory Karasin.
However, Ivanishvili's opponents have discussed various conspiracy
theories that the government "secretly intends to reject the
fundamental connection between the reconstruction of traffic and
the returning of Georgian refugees to Abkhazia" which the Georgian
authorities have tried to achieve since Shevardnadze's era.
Bagdasaryan's statement was disapproved by the official Abkhaz
presidential representative, Kristian Bzhania: "The problem of
direct railway traffic through Abkhazia hasn't been discussed at
Russian-Abkhazian or any other meetings for a long time."
However, it is well-known that this topic was discussed by Vladimir
Putin and Serge Sargsyan at their recent meeting. As the result of
the meeting, Armenian President stated that his country intended to
join the Customs Union, while Putin promised to allocate a significant
sum for reconstruction of the Armenian railroads. At the same time,
the Armenian railroads can be effective and important, only if they
are connected with Russia through Georgian and Abkhazia...
At the same time, the statement of joining the CU dissatisfied some
forces in Yerevan, and some people even held protests, demanding
initialing the free trade area agreement with the EU.
The Armenian SC secretary is a smart and well-informed person. He
knows well that Tbilisi and Sukhumi haven't agreed and probably won't
agree by themselves on the direct railway communication. So, Yerevan
made a smart step - it will agree to join the CU, if Moscow convinces
Georgia and Abkhazia to open railway communication which was stopped
in 1992. So, the statement by Bagdasaryan is a message to Moscow,
rather than to Tbilisi or Sukhumi.
http://vestnikkavkaza.net/analysis/politics/44967.html