Georgia, Tbilisi / Trend corr S. Agayeva / Completion of construction on the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project will revive the historical route of the Great Silk Road, Turkish President Abdullah Gul said in Georgia on 21 November, at a ceremony commencing the building of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, which will unite the transportation systems of Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.
"I believe that the finalization of the project will improve the social level of the population in all three countries and will improve cooperation among our countries even more still," Gul said.
According to the Turkish President, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey will not be the only ones to benefit from the project, but also other countries in the region.
"As soon as peace is established in the region, all other neighboring countries will be involved in the projects. We do not intend to keep other countries out of our joint endeavors. They also can benefit from this, to improve the social level of the populations," he said.
Kazakhstan intends to transport 10mln tons of cargo a year via the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, the President said.
Azerbaijan has allocated a $200mln loan for the Marabda-Kartzakhi Railway line, to be repaid over 25 years with a 1% interest rate. The International Bank of Azerbaijan will issue the first payment of the loan, in the sum of $40mln, in the near future.