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Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku project contradicts Georgia interests

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  • Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku project contradicts Georgia interests

    14:43 28.12.2006
    Permanent news address: http://www.regnum.ru/english/762208.html

    Expert: Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku project contradicts Georgia's
    interests The _Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku_ project contradicts
    Georgia's interests, as the main goal of the project initiated by
    Ankara and Baku envisages turning Turkey into the key communication
    center of the region, which indirectly supposes that role of Georgian
    ports of Poti and Batumi will be reduced to zero, expert of Caucasus
    Analytical Center _Aris Kazinyan_ believes.

    According to him, despite the fact that officially the project is seen
    in Georgia as a key factor of national security, however, in some
    sense, the decision on participating in the project was imposed on
    Tbilisi, so it is taken ambiguously by Georgia itself. Today many in
    the country believe that the project decreases sharply Georgian
    geopolitical opportunities and turns it into a kind of transit
    state. As for Turkish position concerning the project, Kazinyan says,
    an approach contrary to the Georgian one can be registered. In this
    case, there is a traditional conflict of US and Turkish interests
    involving the North-South corridor.

    `The question is, Turkey is trying to minimize the role of Poti
    andBatumi, and, as we can see, much money is being spent for it,' the
    expert says.

    Besides, the USA factor is to be taken into account here. As Kazinyan
    stressed, in this case, it is no matter to the USA what projects will
    be implemented in the South-Caucasian region, the only requirement is
    to provide the East-West direction instead of the North-South
    one. This is the very reason why official Washington has shown a
    restrained, to some extent, a pro-Armenian position concerning
    effectiveness and prospects of laying the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilis
    railroad. To some extent, the USA supports approach of official
    Yerevan concerning effectiveness of operating the railway between Kars
    and Tbilisi via the Armenian Gyumri, as in this case it meets the
    interests of the Armenian lobby and official Yerevan (on the one hand)
    and provides for latitudinal direction of communications, on the other
    hand.

    The USA is mostly interested, as the expert says, in Georgia's NATO
    membership, as it will put an end to possibility of using the
    North-South direction.

    In general, according to Kazinyan, operation of the
    Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway could have been profitable for
    Turkey. `First, it could be good will gesture for Armenia. Besides, it
    would make it unnecessary spend $400 mln for construction of the
    Kars-Akhalkalaki section,' the expert says. Moreover, as Kazinyan
    notes, Armenia will become a hostage as it will only join Azerbaijan
    and Turkey and nothing more. `In this situation Armenia does not have
    access to Russia, it is difficult to imagine that an Armenian train
    could reach Russia bypassing 7-8 Azerbaijani provinces.' According to
    the expert, the only factor that makes Turkey disagree with the
    variant is the prospective threat to its long-term interests that can
    emerge in case the Georgian ports are modernized and a more stable
    connection starts functioning between them and East-European Black Sea
    ports.

    © 1999-2007 REGNUM News Agency
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