Friday, October 11 2019 14:51

ArmInfo. Deputy Director of the Institute of CIS Countries Vladimir Zharikhin does not exclude the possibility of opening freight traffic through the Abkhaz railway. 

At a press conference in Yerevan on October 11, he noted that, in  principle, nothing is impossible, and such a prospect is brewing.   Meanwhile, the expert admitted that it is difficult to imagine  passenger traffic through the Abkhaz railway.

To recall, the railway connection between Georgia and Russia via the  Abkhaz railway was interrupted during the war in Abkhazia - after the  demolition of the railway bridge over the Inguri River in 1992. The  restoration of traffic on the site would lead to a partial exit of  Armenia from the transport blockade and easier communication of  Armenia with the outside world. At the moment, communication with  Russia is carried out thanks to the ferry service and through the  Upper Lars checkpoint, which often closes for a long period due to  weather conditions or, as happened before, complications in  Russian-Georgian relations. In the summer of 2017, Deputy Foreign  Minister of the Russian Federation Grigory Karasin and Special  Representative of the Prime Minister of Georgia, Ambassador Zurab  Abashidze agreed to proceed with the implementation of the agreement  on trade corridors between Russia and Georgia signed in 2011 through  Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The parties agreed to complete  consultations on the implementation of the 2011 agreement and proceed  to the execution of contracts with the Swiss company SGS, which will  control the movement of goods and goods from Russia to Georgia and  back through the "trade corridors" through the territory of Abkhazia  and South Ossetia.