October 18, 2005 - 15:05 AMT
If Abkhaz Rail is Launched Progress in Opening Armenian Border Possible
Secretary of the National Security Council at the President of Armenia, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan has answered affirmatively to a question on possible progress in lifting the blockade of the Armenian-Turkish border and launching traffic via Kars-Gyumri route in case of resumption of the functioning of the Abkhaz part of the Transcaucasian railway. Being asked whether the Armenian and Turkish parties could make use of the same model, which is worked over to restore the rail communication through Abkhazia, S. Sargsyan said, "if Armenia and Turkey had formed an intergovernmental commission, these issues would be possible to solve. Unless there is a structure like that I find it hard to speak about it." It should be noted that a tripartite group of specialists from Abkhazia, Georgia and Russia works over restoration of the Abkhaz railway. The parties have agreed not to link the issue of restoration of communications with complex political issues, including the return of refugees, reported IA Regnum.