Armenian minister in favour of reopening railway link with Turkey

Yerevan, 13 March: Putting into operation the Kars [Turkey] – Gyumri

[Armenia] – Tbilisi [Georgia] railway is of benefit not to only

Armenia, but to Georgia as well, Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan

Oskanyan has told journalists.

He said that there was no other railway linking Turkey to the South

Caucasus today and the existing railway goes through Armenia. So,

there are common interests and if the Tbilisi government puts the

improvement of Armenia-Turkey relations on its agenda and helps

resolve this issue, this will also benefit Georgia.

The Kars-Gyumri railway was built over 100 years ago, however, it is

not operational because of unsettled Armenian-Turkish relations. At

present, Turkey and Georgia are discussing the construction of a new

Kars-Tbilisi railway bypassing Armenia.