"It is necessary to follow the privatization track," he said. In his opinion, Russian Railways may become the main participant in the privatization of Georgia's railroads.
Mr. Yakunin also noted that the issue would not be solved without the political will of the Georgian government and the leadership of Abkhazia. "Economic issues are difficult to resolve in political disarray," he said.
Mr. Yakunin noted that presently there was an electric commuter train route from Abkhazia to Russia but there was no railroad connecting Abkhazia and Georgia. According to him, segments of the railroad in Abkhazia were still mined.
He said that commercial and economic ties would promote political stability in the region. "Then [after railroad is restored] traffic will be reopened - transit to Armenia via Georgia - and economic ties in the region will be restored in a completely different way," said Mr. Yakunin.
At the end of May, Mr. Yakunin attended a Russian business conference in Tbilisi and discussed the possibility of restoring the railroad between Russia and Georgia with his Georgian colleagues.
