Wednesday, November 26 2014

"I see no discrepancies between the signing of the Russian-Abkhazian Treaty on Alliance and Strategic Partnership and the Russian President's statement on the need to rehabilitate the railway communication with Armenia via launching the Abkhaz railway section, Dmitry Polikanov, Vice President of the Russia-based PIR Center for International Studies, said at today's online press conference when replying to ArmInfo's question.      

To note, President of Georgia Giorgi Margvelashvili came out with a statement following the "strategic partnership" agreement signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and President of Abkhazia Raul Khadzhimba on Monday. "The so-called agreement 'on alliance and strategic partnership' between the Russian Federation and the occupied Abkhazia is a step towards annexation of Georgia's territories. This will make the situation in the South Caucasus even more complicate and create an insuperable problem for Abkhazia," Margvelashvili said in the statement.

"The Kremlin is going to invest in Abkhazia's development and at the same time to solve other geopolitical problems, including establishment of normal communication with its ally Armenia. One can understand Georgia's indignation, but that indignation is of no significance to the real policy. It is simply very hard for the Georgian authorities to put up with the fact of existence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as separate entities. De facto they have been no Georgian territories for a few decades already. They have their own power bodies, national identity and economy", said the Russian expert. 

Polikanov pointed out that Tbilisi can certainly amuse itself with an illusion under the guise of protection of territorial integrity but Georgia has missed its chance to incorporate these territories. 6 years have passed since 2008 but Russia has no intention to annex Abkhazia or South Ossetia. In this light, he thinks that the project of unblocking of Armenia has all chances to succeed. 

The 221km Abkhazian section of the railway extending from Psou roadside stop (Abkhazia-Russia border) up to Ingur roadside stop (Abkhazia-Georgia border) has been closed for Armenia and Georgia since Aug 14 1992 after the railway bridge over the River of Ingur (dividing Georgia from Abkhazia) was detonated. Therefore, the South Caucasus Railway (SCR) under concession of the Russian Railways is engaged in transportation of passengers and freight inside Armenia and to Georgia via Poti and Batumi. Out of four locomotive changing points of the SCR only one with Georgia (Ayrum-Sadakhlo) operates.  The other three: Akhuryan-Dogukapi (Turkey), Yeraskh- Velidag (Azerbaijan) and Ijevan-Barkhudarli (Azerbaijan) have been idling since 1991.