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Armenia Should Act Quickly to Avert Turkish-Georgian-Azeri Rail Link

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  • Armenia Should Act Quickly to Avert Turkish-Georgian-Azeri Rail Link

    Armenia should act quickly to avert Turkish-Georgian-Azeri rail link - paper

    Hayots Ashkharh, Yerevan
    1 Oct 04


    Armenia should take a wide range of urgent measures in order to
    prevent the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway that will
    link Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, the Armenian newspaper Hayots
    Ashkharh has said. The railway will strengthen Armenia's dependence on
    Georgia and prevent the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, which
    will leave the country in a blockade forever, it said. For this
    reason, Armenia should persuade Europe, the USA and Russia that the
    Kars-Akhalkalaki railway will allow Turkey to continue the economic
    blockade of Armenia and will speed up the withdrawal of Russian troops
    from Georgia, the newspaper said. The following is the text of Sarkis
    Gevorkyan's report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkharh on 1 October
    headlined "Three against one". Subheadings as published:

    Kars-Akhalkalaki is challenge to Armenia

    As is known, Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan are having ongoing
    negotiations on the construction of the Kars Turkey -Akhalkalaki
    Georgia' Armenian-populated region railway.

    The negotiations that are being held by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister
    Elmar Mammadyarov in Turkey show that Azerbaijan's and Turkey's
    efforts to do everything possible to prevent the Kars-Gyumri railway
    from operating and Georgia's desire to have a direct railway link with
    Turkey, and in this way, to preserve Armenia's dependence on the
    Georgian railway, are a basis for a consensus between the three
    sides. Thus, they should receive 800m dollars and the problem may be
    regarded as settled to the detriment of Armenia.

    We think that Armenia should take systematic steps to stave off the
    Turkish-Georgian-Azerbaijani railway deal.

    For Turkey, which is waiting for a European Union decision to start
    entry negotiations, the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway
    will be a challenge not so much to Armenia as to the European family.

    Let us recall that President of the European Commission Romano Prodi,
    who recently visited Yerevan, diplomatically confirmed that at some
    moment during the European Union negotiations with Turkey, the need to
    establish relations with Armenia will be raised with Turkey. We think
    that Turkey also understands this very well.

    For this reason, not waiting for the start of the negotiations, it is
    already trying to make the European family speak out against this, by
    deepening the communications blockade of our country. Turkey, together
    with Georgia and Azerbaijan, will start asking for money from European
    and American banks - about 800m dollars - to implement the
    Kars-Akhalkalaki project.

    Such a deal is a blow not only to the EU, but also to the regional
    interests of the USA, which demands that the Armenian-Turkish border
    be opened. Moreover, this "three-sided plot" also runs counter to the
    interests of Russia, which is urged to withdraw its troops from
    Akhalkalaki.

    Therefore, the "political excesses" of the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway,
    which seem to be the "sovereign rights" of the three countries of the
    region, could turn into a very peculiar point of comparison between
    the interests of superpowers and fail this project, if Armenian
    diplomacy takes intensive steps in different directions
    simultaneously.

    European direction

    At present, when the EU is specifying the terms of the negotiations
    with Turkey, Armenia should demand that the European family discuss
    the political consequences of the Turkish initiative to make the
    Armenian blockade continue endlessly with the help of European money,
    and also the consequences of bypassing the Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi
    communications system because of the construction of the
    Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi railway. This would mean another obstacle,
    instead of opening the Armenian-Turkish border as published . Seeing
    the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway as a way of opening Armenia will open an
    opportunity to prevent this project from being financed by European
    banks, as it will be a blow to the opening of the Armenian-Turkish
    border, as well as to the European programmes regarding the unity of
    the South Caucasus.

    American direction

    The USA has always tried to open the Armenian-Turkish border. But how
    is it going to implement it, if the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway may
    become a trump card in the hands of Turkey for substantiating the
    existence of the unnecessary Kars-Gyumri link, if not for political
    but at least for economic purposes? So the USA's Armenian lobby should
    also try to raise this problem with the US Department of State to
    ensure that America does not finance the project.

    Russian direction

    Russia seems to be indifferent to the route of the railway that will
    connect Turkey with the South Caucasus, but in fact, it is not.

    If the existing Kars-Gyumri railway starts operating, the formation of
    an anti-Russian vector in economic integration between Turkey, Georgia
    and Azerbaijan in the West-East direction, that is, the Baku-Ceyhan's
    "railway option", will be ruled out.

    Moreover, the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway will speed
    up the withdrawal of the Russian troops from Akhalkalaki as there will
    be no obstacle to the economic integration of the countries of the
    region. Also, the Russian base deployed in Gyumri will find itself in
    a communications blockade if Russia withdraws its troops from
    Akhalkalaki and Batumi. The preservation of Armenia's dependence on
    Georgia through creating a railway link with Turkey may also provide
    opportunities for the free movement of the Russian forces in Gyumri
    via the Georgian railway.

    Thus, Armenian diplomacy should draw up a wide range of urgent
    measures in all three directions - European, American and Russian - in
    order to prevent the construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki railway,
    which will leave Armenia in a blockade forever.
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