Azerbaijan, Baku, May 23 / Trend E. Ismayilov /
The first meeting of the committee on control completes its work in Turkish cities Itambul and Bodrum on May 24 within railroad construction Baki-Tbilisi-Kars, the Azerbaijani ministry of transport said. The meeting is being held at the level of Azerbaijani, Turkish and Georgian ministers of transport.
Azerbaijani minister of transport Ziya Mammadov heads Azerbaijani delegation at this meeting.
Earlier it was planned that the meeting was held on May 9. But the date of the meeting was postponed by request of Georgian side, the Azerbaijani ministry of transport's transport policy and economy department head Sadraddin Mammadov said earlier.
Redesigning of tunnel on the border of Turkey with Georgia will be discussed at the meeting within the project of railroad construction Baki-Tbilisi-Kars, he said.
Final document on Baki-Tbilisi-Kars railroad construction was signed between Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey in February 2007. Azerbaijan allocated preferential loan to Georgian railroad Marabda-Kartsakhi CJSC in the amount of $200 million (1 percent annually) for 25 years to construct Georgian railroad section. A new 29 kilometer-road, service and maintenance center on the border with Turkey will be built owing to these funds in Georgia. Old road will be reconstructed.
Total cost of Baki-Tbilisi-Kars project exceeds $600 million.
A new 105-kilometer branch of railroad is planned to be built within Baki-Tbilisi-Kars project, 76 kilometer will stretch along Turkey but 29 kilometer through Georgia. Moreover, 183 kilometer railroad section Akhalkalaki-Marabda-Tbilisi will be reconstructed in Georgia to increase capacity to 15 million tons of freights per year. A station on transit of trains from Georgian track to European is planned to be built in Akhalkalaki.
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