Rasizade: Kars-Ahikelek-Tbilisi-Baku railway agreement will be signed next month

27 December 2006
The New Anatolian
Baku

Azerbaijani Premier Artur Rasizade stated yesterday that efforts to establish a transportation link between Azerbaijan and Turkey are continuing, and that an agreement on the Kars-Ahikelek-Tbilisi-Baku railway will be signed in January.

Turkey has been pushing the region's states to begin construction of the railway, amid some countries' fears that the project could cut out Armenia. The announcement of the planned agreement on the railway project came during Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nohaydeli's meeting with Rasizade in Azerbaijan. It is also significant since it followed Georgia's announcement on Sunday that the country has reached a gas agreement with Turkey following a visit by the Georgian president to Turkey last week.

Rasizade also announced that the construction and preparation work for the Kars-Ahikelek-Tbilisi-Baku railway project are planned to begin in May.

Stressing that Georgia will face energy shortage problems this winter following Russia doubling its gas price starting next year, Rasizade stated that Georgia's neighbors will help the country through the supply of some 1 million cubic meters of gas daily.

Touching on efforts to attain regional cooperation on energy issues, Rasizade said besides the Turkish-Georgian gas agreement, Azerbaijan will contribute to the construction of new energy stations in Georgia.

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