Sokhumi Mulling 'Customs Points at Border with Georgia'
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi / 3 Feb.'12 / 17:32

A customs service of breakaway Abkhazia has drawn up a plan of “restoring customs administration on border with Georgia” across the Enguri river, Abkhaz news agency, Apsnipress, reported on Friday.

According to this report the breakaway region’s customs service officials have inspected area all across the border line with Georgia and defined potential locations for customs points. The plan had been submitted to Abkhaz leader, Alexander Ankvab, and in case of his approval the customs service would be ready launch putting in place customs points, according to Apsnipress.

Chief of the Abkhaz customs service, Said Tarkil, said that situation in the pre-dominantly ethnic Georgian-populated district of Gali, which borders with Zugdidi district, was “difficult.”

“Smuggled goods continue to flow into Abkhazia from Georgia,” Apsnipress reported quoting Tarkil.

In early December Abkhaz leader, Alexander Ankvab, said Sokhumi should “legalize trade with Georgia.”

He said he was in favor of customs administration of trade across the border on Enguri river.

“It’s not a secret that there are a lot of fruits and vegetables in stores and markets [in Abkhazia] imported illegally across the Georgian-Abkhaz border; but the state has no income from this trade turnover,” Ankvab said.

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