Forecast: Automobile and railway connection of Armenia and Iran will nullify the ten-year efforts of Azerbaijan and Turkey
ArmInfo.The road and railway "spike" between Armenia and Iran will nullify the ten-year efforts of Azerbaijan and Turkey towards the isolation of Armenia. Similar opinion was expressed by ArmInfo of the head of the department of Iranian studies of YSU, orientalist Vardan Voskanyan.
"In this light, the important economic, strategic and even geopolitical significance is not only the construction of the North-South motorway already underway, but also the implementation of the Armenia- Iran railway project." Such nationwide programs are the key to the formation of our country as a powerful regional state " , - he stressed. Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifi, who is in Armenia on a visit, discussed the possibilities of deepening trade and economic cooperation between the two countries with the top leadership of Armenia.
According to the estimates of the Iranian, the political will in the matter of building a railway is justified by the preservation of the program on the agenda of the Armenian government. And in case of establishing strict control over its implementation, the railway to Iran has all chances for implementation. In the light of the above, the expert evaluates both of the above-mentioned programs as vital to Armenia and therefore in need of implementation at any cost.
According to the expectations of the Government of Armenia, the North-South highway in the future will mitigate the consequences of the blockade by Azerbaijan and Turkey, become a transit country, join the Black Sea ring highway. According to current calculations, the construction of a 556-kilometer North- South highway from Bavry to Meghri will cost $ 2 billion, since only the southern section of Artashat- Meghri will cost $ 1.5 billion. In September 2012, North-South was estimated at $ 962 million of which $ 150.3 million and ? 23.14 million have already been spent. The construction was planned to be completed in 2019, however, already today the terms have been officially postponed for more than 2 years.
The construction of the Iran-Armenia railway as a priority program of the government for 2017-2022. does not appear. According to the Ministry of Transport, the project's payback estimated at $ 3.5 billion will be 22 years. The total length of the road with 86 bridges and 60 tunnels on the territory of Armenia is 305 km. The construction concessionaire is the company RACIA FZE, registered in the UAE. The Armenian Transport Ministry accuses the company of violating the terms provided by the agreement and realizing other obligations.