Will the second "Contract of the Century" be signed by the year of 2010?

PanARMENIAN.Net - In several months, on November 18, 1999 the Contract about Baku-Tbilisi-Jeikhan export oil pipeline construction was signed. Baku-Tbilisi-Jeikhan railroad already functions, now it is time for Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad to start functioning. The fact that the construction of the railroad pursues first of all political and only then economic aims, has been mentioned more than once. But unfortunately if everything goes the Turkish-Georgian way, then the complete isolation of the country is not too far off, or to be more exact, it will finally happen by the year of 2010, when the first trains are supposed to get running. According to the Armenian Prime-Minister Andranik Margaryan, Armenia is rather concerned with Kars-Akhalkalaki railroad construction, however in the given situation "we can do nothing, but expressing our kind wishes." Indeed there is almost nothing to be done, unless we give up our basic values regarding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh Independence; something that the Turkish-Azerbaijani alliance is expecting from us. As for Georgia - everything is clear here; if needed it will come over to the other side, and will speak for the railroad project through Armenia with the same enthusiasm.

Meanwhile the only way out of the given situation depends on the viewpoints of the USA, which doesn't need to deal with another unstable region at all. After the developments in Afghanistan and Iraq America will hardly want to have any troubles in South Caucasus, if we take into consideration that even from the viewpoint of energy supply Azerbaijan isn't of much strategic interest to the USA. About 5% of the world oil and 4% of gas reserves is concentrated in the Caspian region. The 65% of oil and 34% of gas reserves is in the Middle East. It's natural that with oil-and-gas reserves the Caspian region is hardly meant to become energy safety base of the world power, and first of all of the USA. But as a supplementary reserve they can have their certain role. Thereupon it is worth mentioning the uranium reserves in Armenia, which can become a counterbalance to hydro-sulfuric stuff as a possible fuel for atomic power-plant.

However for the realization of this and other Armenian plans for discontinuing Kars-Akhalkalaki-Tbilisi-Baku railroad construction diplomatic efforts are needed not only from Armenia but also from the countries interested in the project's suspension. And countries showing certain interests in the above mentioned can always be found - one should not think that the world is based on Azeri-Turkish cooperation. According to the Vice Chairman of the NA Vahan Hovhannisyan the project is not that easy to realize. "Certain parts of the railroad will pass through tight areas. Financing will not be easy either, especially now when the USA has banned any financial support for the project. Armenia must try to have EU join the existing ban too.