Baku-Tbilisi-Kars: We wanted to bypass Russia, it turned out as always

Russia is a serious player in the world arena, occupying a geopolitically advantageous position. However, many pro-Western envious people, seeing in our country a dangerous competitor, do not abandon attempts to turn Russia into a rogue country, they sleep and see it on the periphery of world trade and international transport routes.

It was for this purpose that the start was given to the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, through which it was originally planned to deliver goods from Asia to Europe, bypassing Russia. The southern countries participating in this anti-Russian project wanted to reduce their dependence on our country as soon as possible.

But something went wrong, since Russia eventually became a full-fledged participant in the project, signing this year together with Turkey and Azerbaijan a memorandum on the development of rail transportation within the framework of the constructed highway.

They wanted to bypass Russia, it turned out as always.

Why was the project not implemented and Russian assistance needed? Why couldn’t we go around our country? What benefits does Russia have from this project? Answers to these and other questions in the issue “Time is Forward!”

Comments

[Svarog]

A year ago there was an article on this subject, and even then it was clear that bypassing it was both more expensive and longer, and there were more risks.

[ancestors from Don]

It’s not even a matter of km that is more expensive, but it’s unprofitable for Azerbaijan to quarrel with Russia to the same Azerbaijan, not to mention Georgia, you can immediately collapse the entire Borjomi-Mandarin economy.

[Gennady]

quarrels with Russia to the same Azerbaijan oh how unprofitable, not to mention Georgia

Have these two countries abandoned their plans to travel from China to the EU? The author himself in this video lays out a diagram of this path FROM CHINA at 6:24, but does not give a single argument why this path was destroyed? I open the news on Eurasia and, on the contrary, they write that this path is being built and Turkmenistan on August 3, 2019 makes a statement that everything is OK. So why is the title of the video "one less anti-Russian project"?

[Oquzyurd]

Azerbaijan was interested in the railway connecting it with Turkey. If they wanted to, it wouldn’t have succeeded in stretching a branch through Russia to Turkey. (Initially, they offered the Armenians through Armenia, since the route would be even shorter, but before that it was necessary to agree on Karabakh. it didn’t go, and the stars built with it anyway) Soon there will be branches from this path in Turkey towards the south to the city of Igdir and from there to Azerbaijani Nakhchivan. Who doesn’t know that Nakhchivan is divided into a separate part of Azerbaijan by Armenian territory (as Kaliningrad in Russia) .Freights to mess around from Baku to Nakhchivan by plane, or through Iran by truck. Passengers also mess around in the same ways. After commissioning the railway line to Nakhchivan, many problems will be resolved, in terms of convenience and cost of goods.

[kapitan92]

Quote: Svarog

A year ago there was an article on this subject, and even then it was clear that bypassing it was both more expensive and longer, and there were more risks.

Beautifully set the text in the film! I would like to throw myself on the neck of the leadership of Russian Railways and kiss! But for what? For investing in a competitor?
I want to remind colleagues that in the US before the civil war states sought to isolate themselves. Of course, this could not but affect the transport. The first roads were very different in the distance between the rails. In New York, a law was approved that forbade other branches to connect to roads of a different gauge (their track gauge was 1524 mm).
A gauge width of 1524 mm was first used in Russia during the construction of the Nikolaev railway (mid-5th century). There is an opinion that this was due to the work on the construction of road consultants from the United States, and especially J.W. Whistler (at that time this track was popular in the US states). It is also possible that Russian engineers P.P. Melnikov and N.O. Kraft, who visited America before starting the construction of the Nikolaev railway, suggested using this gauge. In addition, this track gauge was convenient in that it was expressed in a round number of XNUMX feet (This is a small digression into history).
So, I continue. From 1865 to 1886 there was a union of American highways. States are beginning to find ways to interact. . Only in February 1886 did they adopt the “Convention”, which enshrined the introduction of a single gauge in the United States. [b] Highways with a length of 21000 km were altered in just two days. And the preparation took 79 days. The railway gauge in the United States was reduced to 1435 mm.
So what is Russia's benefit? If necessary, the Russian track will be "altered" in a month or two, and we got a competitor for a long time !!!

[Felix99]

Sleeper! The concrete sleeper is now concrete; it needs to be completely changed. And then there was a wooden sleeper, you can always pick holes in it.

[kapitan92]

Quote: Felix99

Sleeper! The concrete sleeper is now concrete; it needs to be completely changed. And then there was a wooden sleeper, you can always pick holes in it.

Thanks. I know this very well. Even in 1982, a cap was made in the "window" in 4 hours. repair of the canvas. The complex worked, 35 people of mine (track fitters), UK 25, VPO, Hopper "turntable", VPR. If desired, you can lay a new "track" quickly enough. And if it's also for money, it's even faster.

[Chaldon48]

At the very least, Russia has money and military power. This was recognized by Poland when it tried to oppose the SP-2.

[Gennady]

Quote: Chaldon48

This was recognized by Poland when it tried to oppose the SP-2.

Has Poland lifted its claims? She is against it now.

[Chaldon48]

Against, well, okay.

[Mavrikiy]

Great releases, keep it up.

[sevryuk]

"Why was the project not implemented, and Russia needed help? Why was it not possible to bypass our country"

Maybe "our country" includes not only the Belarusian Republican Federal Socialist Republic?

[Vladimir Nizhegorodsky]

From China to Europe, the highway will not do without Russia.
And through Russia, anyway.
Cost-effective and beneficial to everyone.

[Butchcassidy]

I have not heard such nonsense for a long time. This project has never been anti-Russian, it has been and is anti-Armenian. The goal is to strengthen the blockade of Armenia by cutting it off from regional integration. True, in the video we talked about this topic, saying that Baku laid out the lion's share for the project. Tbilisi was dragged into this political adventure, giving Saakashvili essentially a political bribe, because Tbilisi’s participation in the project is paid by a non-repayable loan from Baku.
The fact that there was nothing to carry along the road was clear from the beginning. In order to somehow solve the issue of filling, they turned to Russia.

[Sandro]

Dear ButchCassidy! I don’t know which country you live in, but most likely not in Turkey, Georgia, or Azerbaijan, since everyone, young and old, knows how busy the highway is from Turkey, to Tbilisi, and then to Azerbaijan! If you stand for 30-40 minutes on a track going from the sea in the direction of Tbilisi, then you will count for the period of time indicated by me, at least 100 trucks, moving in opposite directions! There has always been and is what to carry! The issue of isolation of Armenia, yes it is, but the foreign policy of Turkey and Azerbaijan, in this matter, is quite logical!

[Butchcassidy]

Firstly, your words do not contradict mine. If Georgia had any other interest, then I do not deny it. But the fact of a bribe is also foolish to deny, because the interstate loan from Baku issued by Tbilisi is interest-free and non-repayable.
Secondly, the project never wore any anti-Russian character. And now does not wear.
Thirdly, if there are goods, then what is the problem of filling the train? Where did the figures for a miserable 100 thousand tons of cargo per year come from instead of the projected 6 million tons with the prospect of up to 20 million tons?

[Sandro]

Following Russian (iron) logic, all routes in the Eastern Hemisphere of planet Earth must go through Russia! And it doesn’t matter who and what, where and where is going to transport! Through Russia, period! Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, if you look at the world map, can’t run through the territory of Russia in any way because this route is not geographically connected with Russia! But it was not there! Oh you conspirators! Bypassing Russia, are you up to something ?! Do not be this !!! And the beginning of doing everything that should interfere with the project of neighboring countries! Therefore, knowing what unbearable pain Russia is experiencing from the engineering thoughts of neighboring countries, I had to offer Russia participation in this project! They may object to me; where does Russia? I will answer: Of course, nothing to do with it! Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, a specific railway line, but the whole point is that it tried to take place, without the participation of Russia !!! Eh ... You have to be trickier! And if the developers of this project would take into account the peculiarity of Russian foreign policy and connect Russia to it, then we would get the name, say, Baku-Makhachkala-Elista-Vladikavkaz-Rostov-Krasnodar-Novorossiysk-Tuapse-Sochi- Sukhumi-Tbilisi-Vale-Kars! Any nonsense yes? But, I assure you, it was in this form that it could exist! Accordingly, Russia would take upon itself the lion's share of the costs of construction and further maintenance of this SUPERPROJECT! As a result, the cargo from Baku to Kars would fall, not in two days, but in two weeks, but the project would have functioned !!!

[Butchcassidy]

The text in the video is just rubbish. This is an attempt to bring some kind of victory flair (the bosses love it) in the issue of joining the project. On the other hand, if Russia and Georgia begin to actively cooperate on the railway issue, then this is a definite plus. Since this sharply increases the chances of realizing and accelerating the resuscitation of railway from Russia to Armenia through Abkhazia and Georgia.