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Experts: Armenia May Become Customs Union'S Gates Into Middle East A

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  • Experts: Armenia May Become Customs Union'S Gates Into Middle East A

    EXPERTS: ARMENIA MAY BECOME CUSTOMS UNION'S GATES INTO MIDDLE EAST AND SOUTH ASIA

    by Gayane Isahakyan

    ARMINFO
    Wednesday, September 25, 20:02

    Russia is interested in Armenia as a transit corridor to the Middle
    East and South Asia, Director of the Center for Integration Studies
    at the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) Yevgeny Vinokurov said on
    Wednesday during a Moscow-Yerevan video conference on the economic
    advantages of the Eurasian project for Armenia.

    "All the members of the Customs Union are interested in the building of
    the North-South transport corridor and the reopening of the Abkhazian
    railway. This project will be financed by the EDB-controlled EurasEC
    Anti-Crisis Fund," Vinokurov said.

    He said that one of the issues of the joint agenda may also be the
    Georgian problem. "According to surveys, 59% of the Georgians are
    interested in normal relations with Russia and are well disposed
    towards the Customs Union. This is a good chance for Armenia and all
    the member states," Vinokurov said.

    Deputy Director of the Noravank Scientific Education Foundation
    Sevak Sarukhanyan stressed the importance of railway projects in the
    territory of Armenia. "Armenia may become the Customs Union's gates
    into the Middle East and South Asia," he said.

    The expert believes that the reopening of the Abkhazian railway will
    foster integration in the South Caucasus. "All the transport and
    energy corridors built in the region so far run from east to west
    rather from north to south," Sarukhanyan said.

    He welcomes Armenia's wish to join the Shanghai Cooperation
    Organization as China may also be interested in the Iran-Armenia
    railway project.

    The 556 km long North-South transport corridor will give access to the
    Black Sea and Europe through the territory of Armenia (Meghri-Kapan-
    Goris-Yerevan-Ashtarak-Gyumri-Bavra) and Georgia.

    While visiting Yerevan in Jan 2013, Georgian Prime Minister Birdzina
    Ivanishvili mentioned the possibility of restarting the Abkhazian
    railway stopped as a result of the Georgian-Abkhazian conflict in
    1992- 1993.

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