VINOKUROV: EXIT FROM TRANSPORT BLOCKADE TO BRING ECONOMIC BREAKTHROUGH TO ARMENIA
YERERVAN, September 24. /ARKA/. Yevgeny Vinokurov, the director of the
Eurasian Bank's Center for Integration Studies, speaking Tuesday at a
video press conference held for representatives of Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia to present the results of the
Eurasian Bank's Integration Barometer - 2013, said when Armenia gets
out of the transport blockade and become a railway transit country,
it will enjoy an economic breakthrough.
"The major task is to ensure a non-stop operation of the railway
communication between Russia and Iran through Abkhazia and Georgia.
When it comes online it will enable Armenia to make a breakthrough
to advance towards sustainable economic development. We consider this
as the key long-term projects for Armenia's economy," he said.
The 556-km transport corridor from the southern Armenian town of
Meghri, on the border with Iran, to Bavra in the north on the border
with Georgia will open a gateway to the Black Sea. The North-South
transport corridor will enable Armenia to mitigate the effects of
the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The North -South transport corridor project was initiated by Russia
and Iran. Armenia and Iran have also agreed at the highest level to
consider the possibility of laying a railway link between the two
countries that will become part of the transport corridor.
According to Vinokurov, normalization of Russian-Georgian relations
is a key to the process of Armenia's accession to the Customs Union
of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.
During a visit to Armenia in 2013 January Georgian Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili spoke about the possible revival of the railway
link between Russia and Armenia through Abkhazia interrupted by the
1992-93 Georgian-Abkahzian war.
Vinokurov pointed out the decrease of the natural gas price and customs
duties for rough diamonds and improvement of the labor migration
situation among the advantages Armenia will have when joins the
Customs Union.
Armenian and Russian presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin,
made a joint statement on September 3, after they met in Moscow. It
has become known from the statement that Armenia has decided to join
the Customs Union and it intends to take part in formation of Eurasian
Economic Union in the future. Putin said that the Russian Railway
may invest about 15 billion rubles in development of Armenia's railway.
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18:00 24.09.2013
http://arka.am/en/news/economy/vinokurov_exit_from_transport_blockade_to_bring_ec onomic_breakthrough_to_armenia/
YERERVAN, September 24. /ARKA/. Yevgeny Vinokurov, the director of the
Eurasian Bank's Center for Integration Studies, speaking Tuesday at a
video press conference held for representatives of Armenia, Belarus,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia to present the results of the
Eurasian Bank's Integration Barometer - 2013, said when Armenia gets
out of the transport blockade and become a railway transit country,
it will enjoy an economic breakthrough.
"The major task is to ensure a non-stop operation of the railway
communication between Russia and Iran through Abkhazia and Georgia.
When it comes online it will enable Armenia to make a breakthrough
to advance towards sustainable economic development. We consider this
as the key long-term projects for Armenia's economy," he said.
The 556-km transport corridor from the southern Armenian town of
Meghri, on the border with Iran, to Bavra in the north on the border
with Georgia will open a gateway to the Black Sea. The North-South
transport corridor will enable Armenia to mitigate the effects of
the blockade imposed by Azerbaijan and Turkey.
The North -South transport corridor project was initiated by Russia
and Iran. Armenia and Iran have also agreed at the highest level to
consider the possibility of laying a railway link between the two
countries that will become part of the transport corridor.
According to Vinokurov, normalization of Russian-Georgian relations
is a key to the process of Armenia's accession to the Customs Union
of Russia, Kazakhstan and Belarus.
During a visit to Armenia in 2013 January Georgian Prime Minister
Bidzina Ivanishvili spoke about the possible revival of the railway
link between Russia and Armenia through Abkhazia interrupted by the
1992-93 Georgian-Abkahzian war.
Vinokurov pointed out the decrease of the natural gas price and customs
duties for rough diamonds and improvement of the labor migration
situation among the advantages Armenia will have when joins the
Customs Union.
Armenian and Russian presidents, Serzh Sargsyan and Vladimir Putin,
made a joint statement on September 3, after they met in Moscow. It
has become known from the statement that Armenia has decided to join
the Customs Union and it intends to take part in formation of Eurasian
Economic Union in the future. Putin said that the Russian Railway
may invest about 15 billion rubles in development of Armenia's railway.
---0---
18:00 24.09.2013
http://arka.am/en/news/economy/vinokurov_exit_from_transport_blockade_to_bring_ec onomic_breakthrough_to_armenia/