Baku-Kars-Tbilisi Railway Project statement from Minister Arslan

Minister Arslan, the Baku-Kars-Tbilisi Railway Project Description: Minister Arslan, Azerbaijan Railways Administration Minister Javid Gurbanov and said in a statement ahead of his delegation to the talks, objectives, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey jointly conducted by the Baku-Kars-Tbilisi Railway Project He expressed that it is to complete and put into service by the end of the year.
Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Minister Ahmet Arslan said, "The overall public interest is important when considering the total operating time of the Osmangazi Bridge."
Minister Arslan, Azerbaijan Railways Administration Minister Javid Gurbanov and said in a statement ahead of his delegation to the talks, objectives, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey jointly conducted by the Baku-Kars-Tbilisi To complete the railway project to the end of the year and expressed that to provide the service.
Pointing out the importance of the said project for the transportation sector, Arslan stated that with the project that will make the iron silk road uninterrupted with Marmaray, the movement of raw materials and finished goods from Central Asia to Europe will be provided.
Arslan, as the Ministry not only interested in the construction of the project, in the future, in cooperation with other countries on how to use the business efficiently carried out said.
With the project "one nation, two states" with Turkey and Azerbaijan besides the humanities and social relationships that will develop the trade relations Arslan, he continued:
“From the start of the project with a diesel locomotive, we anticipate that 3 million tons at the beginning, 6,5 million tons, 17 million tons and much higher numbers will be reached in a short time. This burden, moving through Turkey and also very important for the two countries to a separate process at the point of seeing each stop. For example, we envision a logistics center in Kars, and its work continues. "
Azerbaijan Railways Administration Minister Gurbanov Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Minister Arslan congratulated by new tasks, "Fatherland, soil, I seek help from Allah in the work you do for the sake of Turkey. The project combines Turkey us brothers. A root, a strain, a language, a religion which is to unite with Turkey is very important for us. " he spoke.
"It is necessary to know the spirit of the work and to criticize fairly"
Press the Armstrong also answered questions from members, on a question for the debate on the passage of vehicles warranty in Osmangazi Bridge, Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model is applied successfully for many years in Turkey, even as a PhD course at Harvard University, the BOT model in Turkey he said he was taught.
Emphasizing that every BOT project is guaranteed, Arslan said:
“We put our projects on the market, we market them, the companies in charge come, they are the candidates. If your project is not economical, not feasible or accepted in an environment of economic crisis in the world, you cannot do these projects. The aim is to make these investments together with the private sector without spending public resources. The investment is yours from the moment it starts, not the private company. The private company does it only as an incumbent company and then operates it.
We did this at airports as well. For some of his examples it also came up from time to time. The state pays money because it is a guarantee, but it has taken 10 times more than other BOTs to date. After the company in charge expired, we rented them out to operate and generated revenues of up to billions of dollars. The Osmangazi Bridge and the 384-kilometer highway up to Izmir are also within the same scope. In the end, this belongs to the state, it will be the state and we will earn a very serious income when we rent out its business. "
Arslan pointed out that the guarantee is essential for the project to be financed, and that the bridge and highway consist of the 4 stage and that each stage is a guarantee of passage separately.
Stating that the calculations are made on only one segment in the media without taking other stages into consideration, Arslan said, “We need to know the spirit of the work and criticize it a little mercifully. The average daily guarantee of the section between Gebze and Orhangazi, which also includes the Osmangazi Bridge, is 40 thousand vehicles. It is calculated on a yearly basis, the average of the days with excess and shortfalls is taken, the difference is paid. " said.
Arslan, considering the total operating time of drawing attention to overall public interest is important, bridges and highways bits when the path of the economy and the added value that will occur in all would return as a service to all citizens in Turkey, he said.
Emphasizing that the fuel and time saved by passing the bay in 4 minutes means saving from the national wealth, Arslan said, “Please do not think about the 58 km part that is currently in service only within the narrow frame of the route. For us, total added value is important to our country. " found the assessment.
"It is not correct to compare the price with the bridges in Istanbul"
Minister Arslan, the debate about the height of prices in the period of the auction was the dollar rate of the 1,3 lira, the current rate is around the 2,90 lira, recalling:
“Although 35 dollars was envisaged as a fee, we reduced it to 25 dollars. The goal is to make more transitions, more attractive. We reduced the VAT from 18 percent to 8 percent at the bridge crossing. This decline is in favor of the citizen. The company in charge has to transfer this VAT to the Treasury, whether it is 8 percent or 18 percent. Although the fee of 89 lira seems higher than elsewhere, a service of this size will have a reward for passing citizens. It is not very correct to compare the price with the bridges in Istanbul. This is a competitive environment. Our citizen will put his hat in front of him and evaluate which one is more economical. "