Azerbaijan, Baku /corr. Trend I.Khalilova / The ceremony of beginning of the construction of Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway is expected to take place in the first half of September, a Government source stated on 7 August. The ceremony is supposed to be attended by the State Heads.
Accelerating the project of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway depends on the completion of the project work in Georgia and beginning of the selection of the contractor companies. Currently the proposals are being selected and the tender is expected to complete by September,
The Turkish company, Yukcel Domonic, completed devising a working project on the construction of the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway. In August 2007, the State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan plans to transfer $40mln as the first tranche to Georgia for the construction of the railway.
The Azerbaijani President issued the Decree 'Arrangements on Implementation of Baku-Tbilisi-Kars Project' to which a state commission was established under the chairmanship of the Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov. The commission includes representatives of the Ministries of Finance, Foreign Affairs, and Economic Development, the heads of the State Oil Fund, the railway, and the International Bank of Azerbaijan.
The Azerbaijani Government appointed the Ministry of Transport as the coordinator of the project. The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan will allocate a $200mln credit to the Georgian Government through the Ministry.