Minister of Economic Development of Georgia Mr. Lasha Zhvania introduced the results of his visit to Bodrum, Turkey on May 23, 2009, where he took part in the first session of trilateral Coordinating Committee on Baku-Tbilisi-Karsi railway construction.
The Committee agreed on directions and standards for the 2, 6 km tunnel on Georgia -Turkey section and took the decision to start its construction next year.
The Minister stated that the transitional point for changingthe wagon wheels will be constructed in Akhalkalaki (Georgia), bringing additional USD 150 mln investment to the country.
The issue of constructing 29 km section was also agreed by the parties. The bidding for construction of this railway branch shall be announced shortly after specifying some details with Azerbaijan side.
Overall, the Committee session resulted in an important and successful step towards realizing the USD 200 mln project, of which USD 87mln have already been allocated and the remaining USD 113 mln is to come soon.
