Armenia to negotiate with Georgia about Abkhaz railways

The Russian media is currently discussing the issue of reviving Abkhazian segment of the railways connecting Georgia with Russia. Armenian leadership is very much interested in this issue as it wants to break though the blockade, which is imposed around it by Azerbaijan and Turkey. The only land connection with the rest of the world Armenia has through Iran.

As for Georgia – Armenia has railway connections with this country. However, due to the occupation of Abkhazian territory by the Russian-supported separatists, the railways running through Abkhazia do not function. This topic has been touched on many times by the Armenian side which is vitally interested in the issue.

Georgia now faces a dilemma. If its preconditions are met (return of IDPs from Abkhazia to their original homes, joined control of cargo at the Russian border) only in this case Georgia would have started discussing the issue. However, these developments might cause the great discontent of Azerbaijan, which does not want Armenia to establish a land connection with Russia, and besides, it tries to promote the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railways, currently under the intensive construction.