Abashidze: No negotiations are held in respect to Abkhazian sector of railway.

ArmInfo. No negotiations are held in respect to  the railway Abkhazian sector  restart, Zurab Abashidze, the special representative of Georgian Prime Minister stated in his interview to iPress.

"The issue of  Abkhazian railway restart is directly connected to the issue of territorial integrity of Georgia.  The issue mentioned should be reviewed exclusively in this context. And no negotiations are carried out currently in respect to this," Abashidze said.

Answering the question if the railway  rehabilitation issue was proposed by Armenia, Abashidze said that Georgian government does not review and discuss it anywhere.  Armenian  Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan based to the results of his  visit to Tbilisi, stated on February 24  that Armenia and Georgia reached the Agreement in respect to the transport corridor establishment, which will be optional to the Upper  Lars.  "We agreed in respect to  Lars and to the energy corridor. In general, my visit to Georgia was very effective one," Karapetyan said.

Parliamentary factions of Georgia were not very happy with the information regarding the probability of the optional road opening.  Georgian politicians are concerned that the optional way  could mean Abkhazian Railway. And, in the opinion of  Georgian political powers, the restart of Abkhazian railway sector contradicts to the interests of Georgia

To note, the former Georgian military road through "Upper Lars" PPC, became the only land way providing connection between Armenia and Russia since 1990s. The PPC is periodically closed in winter because of snow slips, and in spring because of mudflows. The Armenian Prime Minster Karen Karepetyan spoke about the necessity of creating an alternate road to "Upper Lars" during the Governmental meeting on January 26. As alternative, demanding a political decision of the states of the region, may serve the roads connecting Georgia with Russia through conflict zones of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.