Infrastructure

Home page

Infrastructure

Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish transport ministers to gather in Istanbul

14 May 2009 17:04 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Rashad Suleymanov - APA-Economics. Azerbaijani, Georgian and Turkish Ministers of Transports will meet in Istanbul next week, said Azerbaijanâ€™s Ministry of Transport.

The meeting fixed for May 9 was rescheduled after Georgian side confirmed absence in the meeting.

The meeting will discuss the change of direction of tunnel at Turkish-Georgian border and the progress of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Railway Project.

The three countries agreed in February 2007 to build a rail line linking the Azerbaijani capital Baku, the Georgian capital Tbilisi and the Turkish city of Kars. Construction work commenced on November 21, 2007.

As per the agreement, Azerbaijan undertook to extend a $200mln loan to Georgiaâ€™s Marabda-Kartsakhi Railroad LLC for 25 years at 1% interest rate annually. The loan will be spent on construction of a 29km long railroad in Georgia, a ST-2 wheel base in Turkish-Georgian border and rehabilitation of old railway.

The project costs more than $600 million. Construction of railroads is slated for operation in late 2011.
A 76km long railway will be laid in Turkey as part of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Rail Link.