Kars to hold discussions on launch of BTK rail route
By Sara Israfilbayova
Kars will host a meeting of railway departments of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey on July 5, to discuss the implementation of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) project, Chairman of the Azerbaijan Railways CJSC Javid Gurbanov said on June 19.
The parties will assess the situation with the implementation of the project and discuss the state of affairs, according to him.
"As a result of this meeting, it will be possible to announce the launch date of the BTK and it is expected that the project will be launched this year," Gurbanov said.
The BTK railway is a corridor that will connect Azerbaijan, Georgian and Turkish railways. It is being constructed on the basis of the Azerbaijan-Georgia-Turkey intergovernmental agreement. The main purpose of the project is to improve economic relations between the three countries and gaining foreign direct investment by connecting Europe and Asia.
The project implementation began in 2007 and construction began in 2008.
The line is intended to transport one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of freight at the first stage. This capacity will then reach 3 million passengers and 17 million tons of cargo.
---
Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz