Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

Construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway intensified after the appointment of the new administration of Marabda-Kartskahi company, which is carrying out construction work on the Georgian territory, Georgian Prime Minister Bidzina Ivanishvili said at a press conference on July 3.

"I have been assured at the company that the implementation of this regional project has sharply intensified," Ivanishvili said.

Ivanishvili noted that Georgia is ready to continue actively implementing regional projects.

"I firstly visited Azerbaijan after my election as prime minister and had a conversation with President Ilham Aliyev, and we agreed to resolve all issues in close cooperation," he said.

On the same day, Turkish Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Binali Yildirim said at the first meeting of the transport ministers of the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States in Baku that the new Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway construction project will be completed in 2014.

According to Yildirim, the new line will not only connect the railway systems of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Georgia, but also ensure the transportation of goods from China and Central Asia to Europe.

The project is very important not only for the host countries but also for ensuring the flow of goods from Asia to Europe, Yildirim added.

Touching upon the issue of Armenia's future use of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the Turkish minister said that Armenia will be able to access the railway only after the liberation of the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

Yildirim further said that the project's participants are the three neighboring countries, but the corridor is open to all.

"However, Armenia will only be able to use the railroad after the liberation of the occupied territories and the fulfillment of all arising obligations," he said.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is being built in accordance with an inter-governmental agreement reached by Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey. The railway will increase the flow of containers and other types of cargo from Asia to Europe.

Azerbaijan has allocated a loan worth $775 million for the construction of the Georgian section of the railway. Funding for the project from the State Oil Fund is carried out in accord with the 2007 presidential decree on taking measures within the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway project.

It is planned to construct a new 105 kilometer branch railway as part of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project. In addition, reconstruction work will be carried out on the Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Marabda railway in Georgia, which will increase its capacity to 15 million tons of cargo per year. It is envisioned to build a center in Akhalkalaki for the transition of trains from the existing train tracks in Georgia to the European ones.

Around 30 million tons of cargo a year are to be transported via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway line, which will become a direct route to the European rail network.