Azerbaijan, Baku / corr. Trend I.Khalilova / The European Bank for Reconstruction
The Minister of Economic Development of Azerbaijan, Heydar Babayev, stated at the press conference on 17 May that as a result of negotiations, an agreement was reached to sign a protocol on intentions on 20 May at the meeting of the EBRD in Kazan.
According to the Minister, the key issue is EBRD's consent to support Azerbaijan in this project for the reason that this railway line is a very important regional project. "It demonstrates EBRD's constructive approach to the project," he said.
The EBRD annual meeting will take place on 20-21 May. During the meeting, the Manager from Azerbaijan, Heydar Babayev, will provide a report on the economic situation in the Country. The Chief of Azerbaijan State Railway Department, Arif Askerov, said on 17 May in Astana that constructing the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is envisaged to be completed in 2009. The Ministry of Transport will be co-ordinating the project.