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The Messenger, Georgia
Feb 9 2007
New railway is geopolitical revolution - Saakashvili
By David Matsaberidze
Saakashvili, who signed the agreement with
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left)
and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (right),
says the railway marks a `geopolitical
revolution'
"A geopolitical revolution" and a "new silk road" is how President
Mikheil Saakashvili described the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project
at the signing ceremony with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on February 7.
The three leaders also signed the 'Tbilisi declaration on a common
vision for mutual cooperation'.
The railway will link the rail systems of Europe and Asia, making it
theoretically possible to travel from London via Istanbul to China.
The project means that 29 kilometre-long section of track will be
built from scratch from Kars in Turkey to Akhalkalaki in southern
Georgia, 29 kilometres of which will be on Georgian territory. The
192 kilometre section of rail from Akhalkalaki to Tbilisi, currently
disused and in very poor condition, will have to be totally
refurbished. To finance the project Azerbaijan has agreed to loan USD
200 million at one percent interest a year. Georgia plans to use
revenues generated by the Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway to cover the
loan.
"The project will lead to a geopolitical revolution in our region,
because this will be a new link that will connect not only our three
countries, but also interlink Central Asia, China and Europe."
Saakashvili said at the signing. The president stressed that the link
would, by 2010, turn Georgia from "a dead end" into "a component of
the European rail network". He said currently Georgia was cut off
because of the closure of the railway to Russia. The president said
that this was the first regional project that would affect ordinary
people, as the railway will carry passengers as well as goods.
Although the project will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to
build, it will generate "billions" in income for Georgia, the
president promised.
Saakashvili was also keen to allay Armenian concerns. Armenia has
objected to the railway as an existing line runs between Kars and the
Armenian town of Gyumri which is disused because Turkey does not have
diplomatic relations with Armenia. Armenia argues that the new
railway will further isolate the landlocked country, and this
argument has won support in the US. In December America passed a law
banning US financial institutions from investing in the project,
citing Armenian concerns. The US diplomat Matt Bryza, who specialises
in Caucasian issues, said this week that the US is neither for nor
against the project.
Saakashvili said that the close relations Georgia is developing with
Azerbaijan and Turkey do not signal a turn for the worse in
Georgian-Armenian relations. He said there was "no alternative" other
than the countries of the South Caucasus to develop "hand in hand".
"It is in our interests for each of our neighbours to have equal
rights and equally friendly relations. It is very important that no
country in the region is isolated, that no country remains out of the
game. We want equal, close, friendly, good-neighbourly relations with
our neighbour Armenia" the president said.
Feb 9 2007
New railway is geopolitical revolution - Saakashvili
By David Matsaberidze
Saakashvili, who signed the agreement with
Turkish Premier Recep Tayyip Erdogan (left)
and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (right),
says the railway marks a `geopolitical
revolution'
"A geopolitical revolution" and a "new silk road" is how President
Mikheil Saakashvili described the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project
at the signing ceremony with visiting Turkish Prime Minister Recep
Tayyip Erdogan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on February 7.
The three leaders also signed the 'Tbilisi declaration on a common
vision for mutual cooperation'.
The railway will link the rail systems of Europe and Asia, making it
theoretically possible to travel from London via Istanbul to China.
The project means that 29 kilometre-long section of track will be
built from scratch from Kars in Turkey to Akhalkalaki in southern
Georgia, 29 kilometres of which will be on Georgian territory. The
192 kilometre section of rail from Akhalkalaki to Tbilisi, currently
disused and in very poor condition, will have to be totally
refurbished. To finance the project Azerbaijan has agreed to loan USD
200 million at one percent interest a year. Georgia plans to use
revenues generated by the Baku-Akhalkalaki-Kars railway to cover the
loan.
"The project will lead to a geopolitical revolution in our region,
because this will be a new link that will connect not only our three
countries, but also interlink Central Asia, China and Europe."
Saakashvili said at the signing. The president stressed that the link
would, by 2010, turn Georgia from "a dead end" into "a component of
the European rail network". He said currently Georgia was cut off
because of the closure of the railway to Russia. The president said
that this was the first regional project that would affect ordinary
people, as the railway will carry passengers as well as goods.
Although the project will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to
build, it will generate "billions" in income for Georgia, the
president promised.
Saakashvili was also keen to allay Armenian concerns. Armenia has
objected to the railway as an existing line runs between Kars and the
Armenian town of Gyumri which is disused because Turkey does not have
diplomatic relations with Armenia. Armenia argues that the new
railway will further isolate the landlocked country, and this
argument has won support in the US. In December America passed a law
banning US financial institutions from investing in the project,
citing Armenian concerns. The US diplomat Matt Bryza, who specialises
in Caucasian issues, said this week that the US is neither for nor
against the project.
Saakashvili said that the close relations Georgia is developing with
Azerbaijan and Turkey do not signal a turn for the worse in
Georgian-Armenian relations. He said there was "no alternative" other
than the countries of the South Caucasus to develop "hand in hand".
"It is in our interests for each of our neighbours to have equal
rights and equally friendly relations. It is very important that no
country in the region is isolated, that no country remains out of the
game. We want equal, close, friendly, good-neighbourly relations with
our neighbour Armenia" the president said.