November 23, 2007 - 17:14 AMT
Kars-Tbilisi-Baku link not economic but political project
Construction of the Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railroad is a recurrent move aimed to isolate Armenia, political scientist Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told reporters Thursday. The link is not an economic project. It pursues mere political goals, since it would be more expedient to reconstruct and put into operation the existing Kars-Gyumri-Tbilisi railway," he said.

Georgia, which enjoys neighbor relations with Armenia, had no moral right to join the project, according to him. "Azerbaijan has assigned a $225 mln credit to Georgia and this is nothing but a bribe," Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

"Azeri sources say Georgia is permitted not to pay back if Poti and Batumi Georgian ports suffer damages as result of the line exploitation. Meanwhile, both Georgian and Azeri analysts are confident that losses are inevitable. Consequently, the credit terms are nothing but a bribe," he resumed, Novosti Armenia reports.