Lavrov: The Decision of the Resuption of Abkhazian Railway Should be Made by Georgia and Abkazia

• 03.12.2015, 14:15
•  EEU,  Region,  World,  Armenia

Moscow will support resuming railway traffic between Sukhumi and Tbilisi, but the final decision should be made by Georgia and Abkhazia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday after talks with his Abkhazian counterpart Vyacheslav Chirikba, TASS reports.

According to Lavrov, the Russian side – given the fact that Russian Railways Company is involved in the operation of the Abkhazian section of the railway under interstate agreements – is in principle prepared for such consultations, while the main decision rests on the direct participants of the process – Abkhazia and Georgia. "Armenia is very interested in this, for good reason," - the minister said adding that Russia is prepared to support the railway’s resumption, but first of all, Sukhumi and Tbilisi should agree on terms.

The issue of railway was raised during the recent meeting of Georgian PM’s Special Envoy for Relations with Russia, Zurab Abashidze, and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in Prague on February 26. Karasin said that no detailed discussion took place as it would be impossible to address this issue comprehensively without the participation of the Abkhazian side.