Currently Armenia, which has no common border with Russia, virtually cut off from it not only by neighboring countries, but also by complicated territorial disputes between states. The restoration of transport communications is a complex and almost impossible project, which arose in connection with the occupation of Azerbaijani territories - the Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding districts, not related to Nagorno-Karabakh. Due to the occupation of these territories, Armenia cannot use the transport routes of Azerbaijan, which geographically links it with Russia.
Azerbaijan, which territorial integrity is recognized by both Georgia and Russia, is ready to provide Armenia the ability to use its transportation hubs after liberating its territories. It seems that it is the only correct solution of a complex issue, which ultimately will benefit all the countries in the region - Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
Nevertheless, Russia and Georgia are trying to work in this direction. Tbilisi observer of Vestnik Kavkaza Giorgi Kalatozishvili discussed it with the Georgian prime minister’s special representative, Zurab Abashidze, who recently discussed a delicate subject of the agreement 'On the main principles of the mechanism of customs administration and commodity trade monitoring' with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin in Prague.
- Zurab Iraklievich, how do you assess the talks in Prague?
- They were very constructive. From the Georgian side the talks were attended by representatives of the Ministry of Economy, responsible for the transport direction, and from the Russian - by the representatives of the Ministry of Transport. We discussed the issues stipulated by our mandate. We discuss the economic, trade and humanitarian issues, rather than political. We analyzed the results of last year and outlined the prospects for the current year in order to promote the development of trade and economic relations.
- What transport projects were discussed during the talks?
- The projects for the implementation of aviation and transport communication, including auto transport system. In particular, the agreement of 2011. We agreed that it is time to take all measures to complete the work in this area and go to the stage of implementation of the agreement 'On the customs monitoring'.
- This agreement provides the implementation of trade between the Transcaucasian countries and Russia through Abkhazia and South Ossetia - the 'trade corridors' mentioned in the agreement pass through them, aren't they?
- The document does not directly refer to Abkhazia and South Ossetia, but it is interesting because it actually includes a mechanism that can facilitate trade.
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Despite the agreement of the parties on the development of trade and economic ties, they failed to agree on the extradition of a Chechen Yusup Lakaev to Russia, who is suspected in the murder of the vice-consul of the Russian Embassy in Abkhazia, Dmitry Vishernev, and his wife on September 9, 2013. On September 13, Georgian police arrested Lakaev after he wounded one of the enforcers in a shootout. "Thus, the citizen of the Russian Federation has committed a serious crime on the territory of Georgia, serving a lengthy jail sentence and cannot be extradited," the Georgian diplomat said.
