The railway communication with Armenia should be rehabilitated via opening the Abkhaz railway section, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a press conference with President of the Republic of Abkhazia Raul Khadzhimba, the Kremlin's press service reports.
"In the course of today's talks, we have paid much attention to transport infrastructure issues. We think it possible to consider and implement a project on transit railway service to Sukhumi, Tbilisi and farther to Armenia on the one hand and to Russia on the other hand if we come to an agreement with our partners", he said.
He expressed confidence that implementation of such a project will create conditions to promote cooperation among all the concerned countries in the region.
According to the Georgian media, in late October 2012 the Georgian State Minister for Reintegration said that the Georgian authorities were ready to restore the railway service with Russia via the Abkhaz railway section under the "strategy on de-isolation of Abkhazia". A month later, he said that "the topic was closed almost immediately because the Abkhaz side showed no interest in it". The railway communication between Georgia and Russia via the territory of Abkhazia was suspended following the conflict of 1992- 1993. The launch of the Abkhaz railway section is of strategic importance to Armenia, because it is the shortest and cheapest way to Russia. Recently, Paata Zakareishvili, State Minister of Georgia for Reconciliation and Civic Equality has told media that no talks are being held on opening of the Abkhaz railway section.