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ABKHAZ PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SAYS SOKHUMI SHOULD PUSH FOR RESTORATION OF RAILWAY
Civil Georgia
July 16 2014
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 16 Jul.'14 / 17:57
Abkhazia will benefit both economically and politically if the
railway linking Armenia and Russia is restored via Abkhazia, said
Aslan Bzhania, one of the four presidential candidates running in
the August 24 early election.
Bzhania, who served as chief of breakaway region's security service
up until July 16, said in an interview with the Abkhaz news agency
Apsnipress that Sokhumi should actively push for the restoration of
the railway.
"It is obvious for me that we will gain number of benefits if transit
of cargo from Russia, Armenia, Iran and Georgia as well goes through
[Abkhazia]," he said.
>From the economic point of view, he said, it would give Abkhazia
additional revenues.
"From the political point of view... it will represent our recognition
by those states, who will be involved in this transit route. Secondly,
transit country will strengthen its negotiating positions over various
issues vis-a-vis those who use this transit route," Bzhania said.
"Abkhazia should not only support this idea of reopening of this
transit route, but should be actively pushing this project in its
relations with Russia and Armenia."
He said that legal status of the Abkhaz section of the railway should
not even be a subject of negotiations. "It is the property of the
[Abkhaz] state and this project should pose no threat to the security
of the state," Bzhania said.
Renewed debate about railway in Abkhazia was triggered by an appeal
made on July 7 by four current and former members of the Abkhaz
Parliament of ethnic Armenian origin, among them incumbent vice
speaker of the breakaway region's legislative body Vagharshak Kosoyan.
In their joint statement, the four former and current lawmakers called
for launch of "broad public discussion" of restoration of the Abkhaz
section of the railway, which, they said, would foster Abkhazia's
accession to the Russian-led "Eurasian integration structures as a
sovereign state" and will also boost region's coffers. They called on
the presidential candidates running in the August 24 early elections
to engage actively in these debates. Their statement also says that
new president, who will be elected in the August election, "should
initiate negotiations on prompt opening of the Abkhaz-Georgian section
of the railway."
Some Abkhaz lawmakers reacted angrily on this statement. At a
parliamentary session on July 10, MP Artur Mikvabia suggested that
wording of this statement was leaving a wrong impression as if "we
do not want to reopen the railway"; such portrayal of the situation,
he said, "is provocative" and "drives a wedge between Abkhazians and
citizens of Abkhazia of the Armenian ethnicity."
Vladimir Yakunin, head of the state-owned Russian Railways, who visited
Armenia last month, said in an interview with Russian news website,
Regnum, that "in the condition of blockade of Armenia, our expectation
for growth in traffic does not correspond to a business plan, which
concession agreement was based on." Under this concession agreement
Russia operates Armenian railway network since 2008.
"We have reported our opinion to the Armenian President and he
expressed an opinion about a great need in restoration of the railway
traffic via Georgia, but before that happens, re-launch of the Abkhaz
section of this [railway] is required and that largely depends on
the position of the Abkhaz authorities," Yakunin said.
He also said that Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which will connect
Azerbaijan with Turkey via Georgia, "is a politically motivated
project."
Georgian officials said after Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited
Tbilisi on June 18 that restoration of the railway via Abkhazia was
not on the agenda of talks. The Georgian government officials say
that although Tbilisi is ready to consider the issue, currently this
politically sensitive issue is not even being discussed.
In early 2006 Georgia was in talks with Russia and Armenia about
potential joint consortium to deal with rehabilitating Abkhaz section
of the railway; those talks, however, yielded no results.
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=27493
Civil Georgia
July 16 2014
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 16 Jul.'14 / 17:57
Abkhazia will benefit both economically and politically if the
railway linking Armenia and Russia is restored via Abkhazia, said
Aslan Bzhania, one of the four presidential candidates running in
the August 24 early election.
Bzhania, who served as chief of breakaway region's security service
up until July 16, said in an interview with the Abkhaz news agency
Apsnipress that Sokhumi should actively push for the restoration of
the railway.
"It is obvious for me that we will gain number of benefits if transit
of cargo from Russia, Armenia, Iran and Georgia as well goes through
[Abkhazia]," he said.
>From the economic point of view, he said, it would give Abkhazia
additional revenues.
"From the political point of view... it will represent our recognition
by those states, who will be involved in this transit route. Secondly,
transit country will strengthen its negotiating positions over various
issues vis-a-vis those who use this transit route," Bzhania said.
"Abkhazia should not only support this idea of reopening of this
transit route, but should be actively pushing this project in its
relations with Russia and Armenia."
He said that legal status of the Abkhaz section of the railway should
not even be a subject of negotiations. "It is the property of the
[Abkhaz] state and this project should pose no threat to the security
of the state," Bzhania said.
Renewed debate about railway in Abkhazia was triggered by an appeal
made on July 7 by four current and former members of the Abkhaz
Parliament of ethnic Armenian origin, among them incumbent vice
speaker of the breakaway region's legislative body Vagharshak Kosoyan.
In their joint statement, the four former and current lawmakers called
for launch of "broad public discussion" of restoration of the Abkhaz
section of the railway, which, they said, would foster Abkhazia's
accession to the Russian-led "Eurasian integration structures as a
sovereign state" and will also boost region's coffers. They called on
the presidential candidates running in the August 24 early elections
to engage actively in these debates. Their statement also says that
new president, who will be elected in the August election, "should
initiate negotiations on prompt opening of the Abkhaz-Georgian section
of the railway."
Some Abkhaz lawmakers reacted angrily on this statement. At a
parliamentary session on July 10, MP Artur Mikvabia suggested that
wording of this statement was leaving a wrong impression as if "we
do not want to reopen the railway"; such portrayal of the situation,
he said, "is provocative" and "drives a wedge between Abkhazians and
citizens of Abkhazia of the Armenian ethnicity."
Vladimir Yakunin, head of the state-owned Russian Railways, who visited
Armenia last month, said in an interview with Russian news website,
Regnum, that "in the condition of blockade of Armenia, our expectation
for growth in traffic does not correspond to a business plan, which
concession agreement was based on." Under this concession agreement
Russia operates Armenian railway network since 2008.
"We have reported our opinion to the Armenian President and he
expressed an opinion about a great need in restoration of the railway
traffic via Georgia, but before that happens, re-launch of the Abkhaz
section of this [railway] is required and that largely depends on
the position of the Abkhaz authorities," Yakunin said.
He also said that Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which will connect
Azerbaijan with Turkey via Georgia, "is a politically motivated
project."
Georgian officials said after Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited
Tbilisi on June 18 that restoration of the railway via Abkhazia was
not on the agenda of talks. The Georgian government officials say
that although Tbilisi is ready to consider the issue, currently this
politically sensitive issue is not even being discussed.
In early 2006 Georgia was in talks with Russia and Armenia about
potential joint consortium to deal with rehabilitating Abkhaz section
of the railway; those talks, however, yielded no results.
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=27493