Translated material
Trojan train
Abkhazia is afraid to put independence on the rails
The idea of creating a consortium by Georgia, Russia and Armenia to restore the railway in Abkhazia was unexpectedly called into question in Sukhumi. Negotiations on this issue are scheduled to take place on July 10 in Tbilisi. Until now, it was believed that the resumption of through traffic through Abkhazia, interrupted as a result of military operations in 1992-1993, would bring economic benefits and open the way to rapprochement in the political field.The other day, these problems were discussed by participants in a round table in Sukhumi. “We must now, at the stage of creating a consortium, find out how beneficial all this is for Abkhazia,” Astamur Tania, executive secretary of the opposition Forum of National Unity, told Vremya Novostei. According to him, the consortium is being created on the basis of the Abkhazian railway, but in the documents Abkhazia appears only as a railway section, which “has nothing to do with equality.” “We must not sacrifice our independence. What happens if, for example, one of the consortium participants then gives their share to Georgia? Then Georgia will be able to effectively control a significant part of the territory of Abkhazia,” worries Mr. Tania.
The consortium plans to invest about $100 million in the restoration of 205 km of roadway. Chairman of the Committee on External Relations of the Abkhaz Parliament Beslan Butba estimated that in this case investors will gain control over 20.5 thousand hectares of the coastal zone. “Even based on minimum prices, for example, 200 thousand dollars per hectare, the cost of this land will be more than 4 billion dollars. No one is stopping us from restoring the road on our territory ourselves, and then dictating conditions to others,” believes Mr. Butba. Co-chairman of the Forum of National Unity Gennady Alamia fears that the restoration of through traffic will encourage the return of Georgian refugees, and this could lead to an escalation of tensions. “This project is a kind of Trojan horse for Abkhazia,” Mr. Alamiya said.
Abkhaz politicians admit that restoring the railway is important for Russia, but at the same time they are afraid of pitfalls. “Until recognition by the international community, Abkhazia should not join any international consortia,” said parliament member Aslan Bartsits. In his opinion, the restoration project can be developed outside the consortium within the framework of bilateral relations between Russia and Abkhazia.