[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 28, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S2469]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. SANTORUM (for himself and Mr. Menendez):
  S. 2461. A bill to prohibit United States assistance to develop or 
promote any rail connections or railway-related connections that 
traverse or connect Baku, Azerbaijan, Tbilisi, Georgia, and Kars, 
Turkey, and that specifically exclude cities in Armenia; to the 
Committee on Foreign Relations.
  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
block U.S. support for yet another anti-Armenian initiative.
  In numerous cases over the last few years, the Turkish government has 
methodically sought to isolate Armenia economically, politically and 
socially. One of the most egregious examples was the imposition of a 
1993 blockade against Armenia in support of Azerbaijan's war against 
Karabakh Armenians.
  The Turkish government has routinely sought to exclude Armenia from 
projects that would benefit the economies of the countries of the South 
Caucasus. The latest example of this policy is the proposal to build a 
new rail line that would connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. 
Similar to the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline, this rail link would specifically 
go around Armenia.
  Now, geographically, we all know that a pipeline or rail line that 
seeks to connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan would have to pass 
through Armenia. One would have to make a special effort to bypass 
Armenia.
  The U.S. should not endorse Turkey and Azerbaijan's politically 
motivated attempt to isolate Armenia.
  I therefore rise today in opposition to this plan, and to introduce 
legislation, along with my colleague, Senator Santorum, that would bar 
U.S. support and funding for a rail link connecting Georgia and Turkey, 
and which specifically excludes Armenia. This project is estimated to 
cost up to $800 million and would take three years to complete. The aim 
of this costly approach, as publicly stated by Azeri President Aliyev, 
is to isolate Armenia by enhancing the ongoing Turkish and Azerbaijani 
blockades and to keep the existing Turkey-Armenia-Georgia rail link 
shut down. This ill-conceived project runs counter to U.S. policy, 
ignores the standing Kars-Gyumri rail route, is politically and 
economically flawed and serves to destabilize the region.
  U.S. policy in the South Caucasus seeks to foster regional 
cooperation and economic integration and supports open borders and 
transport and communication corridors. U.S. support for this project 
would run counter to that policy which is why Senator Santorum and I 
are introducing this legislation today.
  We cannot continue to stoke the embers of regional conflict by 
supporting projects that deliberately exclude one of the region's most 
important members. I urge my colleagues to support this bill.
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