International Alert Publishes Report on Restoring the South Caucasus Railways

International Alert has published the second volume of its research, Rehabilitation of the railways in the South Caucasus, which assesses the potential economic benefits of re-opening the Kars–Gyumri–Nakhichevan–Meghri–Baku (KGNMB) railway.

The study was carried out in partnership with a regional South Caucasus team of researchers between December 2012 and October 2013, and looks at whether it would be beneficial to include the rehabilitation of the railway in the wider peacebuilding process.

Transport links in the South Caucasus were physically and politically damaged as a result of the protracted conflicts that broke out in the region in the early 1990s, and continue to remain a source of instability and an obstacle to socio-economic development of the region as a whole and its individual territories.

An analysis of economic projects that span the region or its sub-regions, and that involve the conflicting parties, could help to widen the field of discussion within the peace process. In particular, factoring regional economic cooperation into the negotiations could open up new opportunities for parties to interact and build trust through mutual interest.

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Read more on the International Alert website. 

Click here to read the full report.

Photo courtesy of asparez.