Russia Says USD 167 MM Needed to Restore Railway in Abkhazia

(Tbilisi, August 12, 2003, Civil Georgia) – Russian Railways Minister, Gennady Fadeyev, said on August 12 that the overall cost for the rehabilitation of the railway link between Sochi and Tbilisi via the breakaway region of Abkhazia is estimated at five billion rubles (approximately USD 167 million).

“The railway is in extremely poor condition,” the Minister stated, adding that it would take about two years to resume traffic.

The Georgian and Russian Presidents agreed in Sochi to se!
t up joint working groups for restoring the railway link, returning IDPs to Abkhazia, and rehabilitating the power facilities in the breakaway region.

Last week, the Russian working group decided to launch an assessment activity on the Abkhaz section of the railway, causing protest from Georgia.

The Foreign Ministry of Georgia is protesting against the unilateral decision of the Russian side to assess the Abkhaz section of the Russian-Georgian railway link, because it claims that this contradicts the March 7 Sochi agreement between the Presidents of Russia and Georgia.

Russian Railways Minister, Gennady Fadeyev, also said that a tripartite meeting with the participation of the Russian, Georgian and Abkhaz sides will be necessary in order to add momentum to the process.

The Russian Minister blamed the Georgian side for delaying the process. He urged the Georgian authorities “to make a political decision” regarding the issue as soon as !
possible.

Georgian authorities will agree to therestor!
ation of the railway connection between the two countries via Abkhazia only in the case of a safe return of Georgia’s IDPs to the breakaway region.

This post is also available in: ქართული (Georgian) Русский (Russian)