31 May 2008, 21:27
Russian railway troops to rebuilt the railway in Abkhazia
A battalion of railway troops of Russia has arrived to Abkhazia with a mission to repair the railway section running from Sukhum to Ochamchira in the east of Abkhazia. The battalion is equipped with all the necessary machinery for the aim of the mission.
It is also expected that a group of specialists from the Open Joint-Stock Company (OJSC) "Russian Railways" will come to the Republic and start repairing the Kodor and Mokvsk railway bridges in the Ochamchira Districts, which are in disrepair condition. Guram Gubaz, head of the Department of the Abkhazian Railway, has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about it.
"It's all aimed at improving the condition of the railway, which is vital for economic development of Abkhazia and for exporting the inert materials needed for construction of the Olympic objects in Sochi, in particular" Mr Gubaz has noted.
Currently, the railwaymen have settled down in the village of Dranda, Gulripsh District, between Sukhum and Ochamchira, and will work in both directions. Under the arrangement between the Russian and Abkhazian parties, the repair works are planned to be over in 2-3 months.
Georgia has treated the deployment in Abkhazia of Russian railway troops as an act of aggression and preparation for intervention. Vyacheslav Kovalenko, Russia's Ambassador to Georgia, was already invited to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia for serving a protest note.
In his turn, Sergey Shamba, Abkhazian Foreign Minister, has stated that Abkhazia had addressed Russia for help in rebuilding the railway section, and deployment of these regiments had been pre-planned.
