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SAAKASHVILI TELLS EAP MEETING PARTICIPANTS WHY HE'S AGAINST OF REOPENING ABKHAZ RAILWAY
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 13 Feb.'13 / 19:40
President Saakashvili told the ministers and dignitaries from Eastern
Partnership (EaP) countries, including Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian, that he was against of reopening railway via
breakaway Abkhazia as it would pose threat to Georgia and lead to
Russian "expansion in the Caucasus".
Saakashvili also said that at the time when Russia took over the
Armenian railway, Moscow probably already had its "insidious plan"
and "calculations about Georgia's elections"; he also added that
Moscow probably had its "favorite" candidate with the latter having
"concrete commitments" before Russia.
When PM Bidzina Ivanishvili visited Armenia in January, he said that
his government was ready to launch work on reopening of the railway
between Georgia and Russia via breakaway Abkhazia, which would also
link Armenia with Russia; Ivanishvili, however, also noted that the
issue was complicated because of troubled relations between Georgia
and Russian and because of "uneasy relations with our Abkhaz brothers".
President Saakashvili, who voiced his opposition to the idea of
reopening of the Abkhaz railway for number of times since PM's
remarks, again raised the issue while hosting in the presidential
palace participants of an informal Eastern Partnership ministerial
meeting in Tbilisi, involving high ranking officials from Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine; European Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Fule and Vice
President of the European Commission Siim Kallas were also present.
Earlier on February 13 participants of the meeting from six countries
of the Eastern Partnership held discussions on the issue of transport.
"On the one hand we have very close and warm relations with Armenia
and I am grateful to Armenia, especially for its solidarity expressed
towards Georgia in difficult circumstances in 2008 [during the August
war]," President Saakashvili said, adding that Georgia did its best
to help Armenia with solving transportation issues, including through
reopening of Larsi border crossing point with Russia.
"But today the issue of reopening of railway through Abkhazia has
been put on the agenda again. I do not want Armenia to face any kind
of problem in respect of transportation of cargo in the future. I
simply want them to know what my position about this railway is,"
Saakashvili said.
"First of all we know that the Russian railway controls the Armenian
railway," Saakashvili said.
State-run Russian Railways (RZhD) took over the management of Armenian
railway network under 30-year operating concession deal, which was
signed in January, 2008.
"At the time when they [Russia] took over the Armenian railway and
illegally seized the railway in occupied Abkhazia, there was no talk
of reopening of railway [via Abkhazia], so I was asking a question:
what was Russia's plan? Why it needed Armenian railway if the railway
via Abkhazia was not opened?" Saakashvili said.
"It seems that Russia had more far-sighted and insidious plan than
I could have imagined," he continued.
"They [Russia] had their calculations about Georgia's elections; they
probably had their favorite [candidate in Georgia's elections], who had
concrete commitments [before Russia]; otherwise I cannot explain why
did they need to control Armenian railway and seized Abkhaz railway
in the condition when [these two rail networks] were disconnected,"
Saakashvili said.
With Russia's continued occupation of Abkhazia, he said, reopening of
the railway via the breakaway region would further increase Moscow's
grip over Abkhazia.
"It will be an instrument for [Russian] expansion in the Caucasus,"
Saakashvili said. "Georgia will gain nothing from it; on the contrary
it will complicate reintegration of Abkhazia and will create other
types of military and political problems for Georgia."
"I do not think that it is in the interests of any country in the
Caucasus," Saakashvili said. "It is only in the short-term, aggressive
interests of one country."
He also said that for the purpose of handling more cargo turnover
via Georgia, including those destined for Armenia, the previous
government of Georgia was intending to build a new port, Lazika,
on the Black Sea coast close to Abkhazia.
President Saakashvili also spoke about the importance of EU's Eastern
Partnership initiative and especially welcomed participation of Foreign
Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makey in the Eastern Partnership informal
meeting in Tbilisi.
"We are very grateful to Belarus, like to other countries present
here, for respecting Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity
in difficult circumstances. We think that dialogue with Belarus and
engagement of Belarus in various European formats has a long-term
importance not only for Belarus but for the entire Europe as well,"
Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili also said that idea of granting Georgia a declaration
on EU membership perspective was floating last year. "There is less
talk about it now," Saakashvili said. "I hope that that the chance
for that is not completely lost."
He also said that Georgia should "definitely" sign Association
Agreement with EU.
"I am ready to help the Georgian government in this regard with
everything possible. You know that there are many circumstances,
which may turn problematic for Georgia in this regard; I am not at
all happy about it," Saakashvili said.
The President of the European People's Party (EPP) Wilfried Martens and
the Vice President of the EPP and Chairman of the EPP Group in Euronest
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski released a statement on February 13 condemning
February 8 incident outside the National Library in Tbilisi in which
several UNM MPs were assaulted. The statement says that the conditions
to continue a dialogue on Association Agreement with Georgia "are not
met anymore" because, as the statement reads, "the situation continues
to deteriorate dramatically" in Georgia. President Saakashvili's UNM
party is an observer member of EPP.
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25751
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 13 Feb.'13 / 19:40
President Saakashvili told the ministers and dignitaries from Eastern
Partnership (EaP) countries, including Armenian Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian, that he was against of reopening railway via
breakaway Abkhazia as it would pose threat to Georgia and lead to
Russian "expansion in the Caucasus".
Saakashvili also said that at the time when Russia took over the
Armenian railway, Moscow probably already had its "insidious plan"
and "calculations about Georgia's elections"; he also added that
Moscow probably had its "favorite" candidate with the latter having
"concrete commitments" before Russia.
When PM Bidzina Ivanishvili visited Armenia in January, he said that
his government was ready to launch work on reopening of the railway
between Georgia and Russia via breakaway Abkhazia, which would also
link Armenia with Russia; Ivanishvili, however, also noted that the
issue was complicated because of troubled relations between Georgia
and Russian and because of "uneasy relations with our Abkhaz brothers".
President Saakashvili, who voiced his opposition to the idea of
reopening of the Abkhaz railway for number of times since PM's
remarks, again raised the issue while hosting in the presidential
palace participants of an informal Eastern Partnership ministerial
meeting in Tbilisi, involving high ranking officials from Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine; European Commissioner for
Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Štefan Fule and Vice
President of the European Commission Siim Kallas were also present.
Earlier on February 13 participants of the meeting from six countries
of the Eastern Partnership held discussions on the issue of transport.
"On the one hand we have very close and warm relations with Armenia
and I am grateful to Armenia, especially for its solidarity expressed
towards Georgia in difficult circumstances in 2008 [during the August
war]," President Saakashvili said, adding that Georgia did its best
to help Armenia with solving transportation issues, including through
reopening of Larsi border crossing point with Russia.
"But today the issue of reopening of railway through Abkhazia has
been put on the agenda again. I do not want Armenia to face any kind
of problem in respect of transportation of cargo in the future. I
simply want them to know what my position about this railway is,"
Saakashvili said.
"First of all we know that the Russian railway controls the Armenian
railway," Saakashvili said.
State-run Russian Railways (RZhD) took over the management of Armenian
railway network under 30-year operating concession deal, which was
signed in January, 2008.
"At the time when they [Russia] took over the Armenian railway and
illegally seized the railway in occupied Abkhazia, there was no talk
of reopening of railway [via Abkhazia], so I was asking a question:
what was Russia's plan? Why it needed Armenian railway if the railway
via Abkhazia was not opened?" Saakashvili said.
"It seems that Russia had more far-sighted and insidious plan than
I could have imagined," he continued.
"They [Russia] had their calculations about Georgia's elections; they
probably had their favorite [candidate in Georgia's elections], who had
concrete commitments [before Russia]; otherwise I cannot explain why
did they need to control Armenian railway and seized Abkhaz railway
in the condition when [these two rail networks] were disconnected,"
Saakashvili said.
With Russia's continued occupation of Abkhazia, he said, reopening of
the railway via the breakaway region would further increase Moscow's
grip over Abkhazia.
"It will be an instrument for [Russian] expansion in the Caucasus,"
Saakashvili said. "Georgia will gain nothing from it; on the contrary
it will complicate reintegration of Abkhazia and will create other
types of military and political problems for Georgia."
"I do not think that it is in the interests of any country in the
Caucasus," Saakashvili said. "It is only in the short-term, aggressive
interests of one country."
He also said that for the purpose of handling more cargo turnover
via Georgia, including those destined for Armenia, the previous
government of Georgia was intending to build a new port, Lazika,
on the Black Sea coast close to Abkhazia.
President Saakashvili also spoke about the importance of EU's Eastern
Partnership initiative and especially welcomed participation of Foreign
Minister of Belarus Vladimir Makey in the Eastern Partnership informal
meeting in Tbilisi.
"We are very grateful to Belarus, like to other countries present
here, for respecting Georgia's sovereignty and territorial integrity
in difficult circumstances. We think that dialogue with Belarus and
engagement of Belarus in various European formats has a long-term
importance not only for Belarus but for the entire Europe as well,"
Saakashvili said.
Saakashvili also said that idea of granting Georgia a declaration
on EU membership perspective was floating last year. "There is less
talk about it now," Saakashvili said. "I hope that that the chance
for that is not completely lost."
He also said that Georgia should "definitely" sign Association
Agreement with EU.
"I am ready to help the Georgian government in this regard with
everything possible. You know that there are many circumstances,
which may turn problematic for Georgia in this regard; I am not at
all happy about it," Saakashvili said.
The President of the European People's Party (EPP) Wilfried Martens and
the Vice President of the EPP and Chairman of the EPP Group in Euronest
Jacek Saryusz-Wolski released a statement on February 13 condemning
February 8 incident outside the National Library in Tbilisi in which
several UNM MPs were assaulted. The statement says that the conditions
to continue a dialogue on Association Agreement with Georgia "are not
met anymore" because, as the statement reads, "the situation continues
to deteriorate dramatically" in Georgia. President Saakashvili's UNM
party is an observer member of EPP.
http://www.civil.ge/eng/article.php?id=25751