Burjanadze alleges Georgian Railways to be sold to Russia

One of the leaders of the opposition, former Chair of Parliament Nino Burjanadze, has made a special statement alleging that the Georgian leadership is carrying out confidential negotiations to sell Georgian Railways to Russia. This statement is made while the Government itself is continually saying that the non-Parliamentary opposition in general and Nino Burjanadze herself have certain contacts with Russia.

In her statement Burjanadze says that as Georgian state officials are facing serious problems in collecting budgetary revenues selling the railways is being considered as a way of obtaining budget income. She says that Moscow already manages the Armenian Railways and has renamed them the South Caucasus Railways and Moscow has also rehabilitated the Abkhazian segment of Georgian Railways. Right after the August aggression the Kremlin said it would create a rail link between Vladikavkaz in Northern Ossetia and Tskhinvali in South Ossetia. Therefore Russia plans to get hold of Georgian Railways also to achieve this.

For these reasons Burjanadze concludes that the Georgian leadership is preparing to give the management of Georgian Railways to the Russian side, however she warns all the sides that Georgia’s future administration will revise any such agreements and urges Georgia’s current leadership, the Russian Federation and our Western friends not to allow such a contract to be concluded, because as soon as the current administration is changed all such agreements will be annulled and these assets will return to the Georgian state and people.

It should be noted that the Georgian Government categorically denies Burjanadze’s allegations and states that no such step is planned.