Economists state Azerbaijan's interest in new trade corridors between Russia and Georgia

The project on transit corridor through Abkhazia and South Ossetia is beneficial to Azerbaijan, as well as to other countries of the region, experts interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot" believe.

On May 24, in Prague, negotiations were held of Grigory Karasin, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister, with Zurab Abashidze, Special Representative of Georgia's Prime Minister. They had agreed to form a working group to implement the 2011 intergovernmental agreement on setting up trade corridors across the territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

The project is of special interest for Armenia, Togrul Djuvarly, a member of the Azerbaijani National Public Committee for European Integration, believes.

"Armenia hopes, through the opening of the corridor across Abkhazia, to get out of the railway blockade, which it had created itself because of the conflict with Azerbaijan and the absence of relations with Turkey," the expert believes.

However, the opening of corridors to Armenia may cause some problems in Baku-Tbilisi relationships, Mr Djuvarly said. Baku has done much for the economic development and energy supply to Georgia over the past 20 years, and, of course, it would like Tbilisi making steps to lift the economic blockade from Armenia, with which Azerbaijan is at war, the expert has explained.

Natig Djafarly, a member of the Mejlis of the Republican Alternative (ReAl) Party, has noted that Azerbaijan is critical of the plans to open a Russia-Georgia railway communication via Abkhazia. This corridor is beneficial to Armenia, which will direct part of its economic dividends to strengthen its army and will further tighten its position at negotiations on the Karabakh settlement, Mr Djafarly told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Thanks to the opening of trade corridors across Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Azerbaijan will be able to increase the volume of cargo transportation by the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, Ilham Shaban, the head of the "Caspian Barrel" Oil Research Centre, has stated. The more cargo, the sooner Azerbaijan will payback the BTK construction, since the building costs in the territory of Georgia were covered by Azerbaijan, the expert said.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.