Georgia may annul Armenian cargo transit discount from March 1

PanARMENIAN.Net - From March 1, 2008 Georgia will annul discount for the Armenian cargo transit. The decision is explained by the fact that the discount was given to the Armenian company but not to the RZD (Russian railways), the concessionaire of the Armenian Railways, АRMENIA Today reports quoting a reliable source.



January 26 Director General of the Georgian Railways Irakli Ezgubaya assembled a conference to inform the Armenian side of the decision to rescind the operating 17% discount for liquid cargo and 22% discount for dry cargo, the source said.



The rail line with Georgia is the only truck connecting Armenia with the outer world. Using the circumstance, Georgia offered rather low discount to Armenia as compared to the other states. For example, the transit cargo discount for Azerbaijan reached 50%.



The RZD won the tender on 30-year concession of the Armenian Railways with a possible prolongation for 20 more years. The company intends to make investments totaling from $570 million up to $2,15 billion.