Armenian foreign minister: Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku Project produces negative political situation in the region

13:53 03/09/2007
REGNUM

Position of the official Yerevan on construction of the Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railway bypassing Armenia remains the same: the Armenian side opposes it, Armenia’s Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanyan announced at a news conference on March 9.

A REGNUM correspondent quotes him as saying that from the economic point of view the project will do no harm to Armenia, as the country is suffering losses already because of closure of the Armenian-Turkish border. “From the political point of view, the project produces negative atmosphere in the region, particularly, affects forming of favorable relations,” the minister said.

Speaking on Kazakhstan’s possible participation in the project, Vardan Oskanyan said that during the last year Armenian-Kazakh meeting, the Kazakh side was not very optimistic about the project. “Maybe, they have changed their attitude, but I know nothing about it,” said Vardan Oskanyan adding that the Armenian side would continue opposing the project. At the same time, according to the Armenian foreign minister, probably, participants of the project have financial problems, if they would like to join Kazakhstan to it.

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