Baku, February 14 (AZERTAC). The Coordinating Council for construction of the Georgian section of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will convene in Istanbul, Turkey, next week, according to Azeri Transport Minister Ziya Mammadov. 

Speaking to journalists in Tbilisi, Mammadov said: “Azerbaijan and Georgia have reached full agreement on all the issues on the agenda of the Coordinating Council.”

“The main issue now is to approve budget for the Georgian section, which will be 175 million US dollars this year.”

“As the weather conditions better the speed of work will increase and by late 2013 the first trains will be running on this route,” said the Minister.

“We have already received a guarantee, and I believe it will be fulfilled,” Mammadov added.