28.09.2010
 Azerbaijan can allocate additional funds for the Georgian section of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars


Ministry of Finance of Azerbaijan does not exclude the possibility of additional funding for work on the Georgian section of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars.
Said on Wednesday the Minister of Finance Samir Sharifov.
"There is a project, and must be implemented before the end. In this connection, the necessary decisions for financing the project will be accepted," - said Sharifov.
The Minister did not mention the possible additional funding in this project.
Previously, to carry out works on the Georgian section of the railway through the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan government of Georgia has provided $ 200 million loan for 25 years at an annual rate of one percent.
As part of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is planned to construct a new 105-kilometer branch of railway, 76 kilometers will Turkey and 29 miles - Georgia. In addition, Georgia will be reconstructed railway section of Akhalkalaki-Marabda-Tbilisi, which will increase its capacity to 15 million tons of cargo a year. In Akhalkalaki will be built, and point of transition from the existing train tracks in Georgia, the European one.
As previously mentioned Azerbaijani Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov, the completion of construction work planned for the first half of 2012. But, despite the agreed timeframe of the project, the parties are working to expedite the process and complete most of the works before the end of 2011.
Peak bandwidth of the corridor will be 17 million tons of cargo. At the initial stage, this figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo