Yerevan /Mediamax/. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev stated that the United States opposed the construction of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad.

TASS reported that speaking at a government meeting on transport issues, Aliyev said:

“We faced significant resistance when we wanted to implement this project. I can reveal this now - particularly, the United States opposed it. The reason was their pro-Armenian stance, as it was believed that this project would bypass Armenia.”

According to him, Washington pressured Georgia to withdraw from the project.

“We negotiated with the Georgian side for several years and finally managed to reach an agreement. I personally discussed this issue with US high-ranking officials on several occasions, telling them not to obstruct us. This is a strategic project for us, which in the future will benefit other countries, including their allies. Time has proven that, as always, we were right. Today, US partners in Europe have shown great interest in the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad. In general, they are highly interested in the transportation of goods between Central Asia and Europe and in the opposite direction through the territory of Azerbaijan. Had this railway not been built, such transport routes would have been impossible,” the Azerbaijani president added.

The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway, spanning a total of 826 kilometers, was put into operation from October 30, 2017.