ARMENIA AS A LANDLOCKED STATE: TRANSIT OPPORTUNITIES
Keywords:
transportation, railways, shipping operations, transit, convention, concession, Armenia.Abstract
Armenia does not have direct access to the sea, and its land transportation opportunities are limited due to the conflict with Azerbaijan and its support by Turkey. Armenia is extremely transport-dependent on Russia. For example, JSC Russian Railways, which is essentially not interested in revolving the urgent problems of the country’s transportation system, is the concession operator of Armenia’s railways.
These complicated transportation and communication conditions create geopolitical and geo-economic threats for Armenia; if they are not dealt with, making successful basic changes and raising the country’s economic competitiveness will be inconceivable.
This article identifies the problems Armenia’s railway system faces and highlights regional transit issues from the perspective of the main development characteristics of landlocked countries.
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See: Speech by Anwarul K. Chowdhury at the opening of the Regional Meeting of Landlocked Countries and Develop-ing Transit Countries in Latin America regarding Cooperation in Transit Shipping Operations, Asuncion, 12 March, 2003.
See: Doing Business 2012: Doing Business in a More Transparent World.
See: Landlocked States: Opportunities, Challenges, Recommendations, The European Economic Commission, Com-mittee for the Development of Trade, Industry, and Business, Sixth Session, 28-31 May, 2002.
See: Development Strategy for Armenia’s Transport Sphere 2020, Final Report. PADECO Co. along with VGM Partners, Erevan, 2008, available at [http://www.mtc.am/main.php?lang=1&page_id=527] (in Armenian).
Estimates are based on studies carried out by Austria’s ILF and Armenian companies.
CJSC South Caucasus Railway is a 100% subsidiary company of JSC Russian Railways and carries out concession management of Armenia’s railways. CJSC Armenian Railway was transferred under concessionary management of CJSC South Caucasus Railway in compliance with the Concession Agreement signed on 13 February, 2008. Concessionary manage-ment will be carried out for 30 years with the right of prolongation for another 10 years.
I. Levitin, “Proekt zheleznoi dorogi Armenia-Iran vpisyvaetsia v koridor ‘Sever-Iug’”, 21 January, 2008, available at [http://www.regnum.ru/news/polit/945206.html].
See: Statistical Yearbook of Armenia 2013, National Statistics Board of the Republic of Armenia, p. 331.
[http://www.ekhokavkaza.com/archive/news/20130228/3235/2759.html?id=24915346].
See: Armenia’s Transport Sphere Development Strategy 2020.
See: Ibidem.
See: “Ekonomicheskaia tselesoobraznost stroitelstva zheldorogi Iran-Armenia ne rasschitana—Rebets,” arka.am,24 May, 2012.
See: T. Avetisian, “Iakunin—the Iran-Armenia Railway Program is Realistic,” Radio Freedom, 15 February, 2012,available at [http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24485399.html] (in Armenian).
See: V. Romanova, “Sozdan novyy transportnyy soiuz,” Rossiiskaia Buznes-gazeta, 26 June, 2012, available at [http://www.rg.ru/2012/06/26/transport.html].
A unified legislative framework includes common railway codes, civil aviation laws, transport codes, customs legis-lation, laws on freight forwarding services, legislation on the shipment of hazardous freight, and so on.
See: Ch.Ch. Hyde, International Law Chiefly as Iinterpreted and Applied by the United States, Vol. 2, Little, Brown & Co., Boston, 1922.
Ibidem.
Quoted from: V.A. Malashevich, “Printsip svobody tranzita v mezhdunarodnom prave,” Problemy upravleniia,No. 3 (36), 2010, p. 139.
See: Trade Facilitation and Institutional Support Project for Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Kazakhstan,Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Romania, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Progress Report III, February 2006.
The Vienna Convention on Road Signs and Signals of 8 November, 1968 and the Customs Convention on the Tem-porary Importation of Private Road Vehicles of 4 June, 1954.
See: M. Liutova, “Rossia vykhodit iz mezhdunarodnoi sistemy transita,” Vedomosti.ru, 1 August, 2013.
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