Tbilisi. On September 6 Special Representative of the
Georgian Prime Minister for settlement relations with Russia Zurab Abashidze
stated that the Georgian side was not negotiating with Russian Federation on
the issue of opening of the railway's Abkhaz section.
Earlier, Secretary General of the National
Security Council of Armenia Arthur Bagdasaryan stated that the Georgian side as
well as de-factor authorities of Abkhazia consent to open the Abkhaz section of
the railway.
According to him, the issue of opening of
the railway, which was of strategic importance for Armenian economy, was
discussed at the meeting of Presidents of Armenia and Russia Serzh Sargsyan and
Vladimir Putin in Moscow on September 3.
"There was a certain stir in our Mass
Media around that theme five-six months ago. To my mind, we gave a full answer that
we were not holding talks with Russia on that issue. I will confirm it now. As
a rule, such things are not concealed. We do not negotiate with Russia on this
theme. It was not considered at all in the format of my dialogue with (Grigori)
Karasin (Deputy Foreign Minister of RF), that's why it is difficult for me to
tell where this information appeared from", Abashidze said.
He also noted that the Georgian side was
ready to discuss that issue, but not in the prejudice of his state interests.
"If the Russian side advances any
initiative, any proposal, we are ready to listen how they imagine restoration
of this railway. We do not say that we will never talk about it. If it happens,
naturally, it will be on the basis of principles of Georgia's territorial integrity",
Abashidze said.
While delivering a speech at the session
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg, on
April 23, the head of the Georgian government Bidzina Ivanishvili said that the
railway's Abkhaz section would be opened in perspective by all means, but it
should be done first of all taking into consideration Georgia' interests.