Monday, 25 July 2005
On a working visit in Georgia, today RA Prime Minister A. Margaryan has had meetings with President Mikhail Saakashvili and Speaker of Parliament Mrs. Nona Bourjanadzeh. During these meetings, the Parties have summarized the outcome of the two Prime Ministers' meeting had in Javakhk on the first day of the visit and discussed various questions with regard to bilateral cooperation.
On July 24-the first day of the visit-Prime Minister A. Margaryan and his Georgian counterpart Z. Noghaideli met at the border-line between Armenia and Georgia, then the two Prime Ministers went to Satkha village where they heard the concerns voiced by local inhabitants and briefed them on the on-going and planned joint action of the two governments towards the solution of the existing social and economic problems in Javakhk. Mr. Margaryan and Mr. Noghaideli had similar meetings in Ninotsminda and Akhalkalak. Almost everywhere the problems were the same: fragile employment status, scarcity of production infrastructure and investment, urgent need in upgading the existing Armenian schools and bulding new ones, short supply of badly needed textbooks and lack of logistical infrastructure, including the upgrades of roads in bad repair, rehabilitation of health-care facilities with replenished medical supplies and other basic necessities. The Armenians of Javakhk also took interest in the prospects for the construction of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi railway.
With reference to the goals that his Georgian counterpart and himself had set for this working tour to Javakhk, RA Prime Minister A. Margaryan said that this call as stipulated in an arrangement made by the two heads of government during their previous meeting a month earlier would be conducive to an in-depth discussion of the priority improvement programs conceived for the next few years by integrating therein the major concerns raised throughout these contacts and making use of the potentialities of the Armenian government.
"The program also features road-building, educational, health-care and cultural components. The latter will be addressed in the years to come by drawing upon the funds earmarked both under the Millenium Account Program and the Georgian Governments allocations package. Attempts will be made to have the academic curricula for the schools developed on the basis of expert appraisal before September. Indeed, Armenia will possibly assist those efforts made by the Georgian government towards the improvement of social-economic situation in Javakhk. We will be consistent in this matter and I feel that these activities will be continued,-the Prime Minister has stated in particular.
With reference to the construction of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi railway, Mr A. Margaryan said that it was up to Georgia to decide which way to proceed and Armenia could only express a private view on the subject.
"During our previous contacts the government of Georgia has repeatedly stated its willingness to assist with the re-commissioning of Kars-Gumri-Tbilisi railway route. Georgia is interested in having this area linked with Turkey. Quite naturally, it would be less expensive to re-commission the existing link instead of making huge spendings on the new itinerary. It is the responsibility of the Armenian rather than the Georgian government to seek foreign financial support for the re-opening of Kars-Gumri-Tbilisi railway line,"
