Knollenberg, Pallone Introduce Bill to Deny U.s. Support For Any South Caucuses Rail Line Designed to Exclude Armenia

Washington, D.C. --- Following recent reports that plans are underway to build a new railroad system connecting Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey that specifically exclude Armenia, U.S. Reps. Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) and Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), co-chairmen of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, last week introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives that explicitly prohibits any U.S. assistance to the project unless Armenia is included.

The proposed rail link would cost between $400 million and $800 million and is designed to bypass a pre-existing rail line in Armenia that could be brought online with a few minor updates and repairs. The Armenian rail line is not currently in use because of the Turkish government's blockade of Armenia. The lawmakers expressed concern that the new line, which connects the cities of Baku, Azerbaijan, Tbilisi, Georgia and Kars, Turkey, will further reinforce Turkey's illegal blockade.

Knollenberg and Pallone said that open and fully integrated transportation routes are necessary to promote cooperation, support economic growth, and help resolve regional conflicts, but that the new rail line will allow the region to develop economically, without any benefit to Armenia.

The lawmakers also expressed concern that Azerbaijan's leading role in the development of the new railroad, combined with other similar attempts to exclude Armenia from regional cooperative efforts, threatens to undermine a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and could potentially destabilize the region.

"Instead of condoning economic isolation, the United States should stand strong for its policy of promoting integration among the countries of the South Caucasus. By urging the countries of the region to use the existing rail line, we can help cool tensions and foster much needed cooperation," Knollenberg said.

"Armenia's exclusion from this project directly undermines the United States' stated goal of fostering integration and cooperation among the countries of the region," Pallone said. "The United States should not reinforce this type of economic isolationism, and we should not support this plan until Armenia is included as a full partner in this project."