Reports: Border Restrictions Hit Abkhazia

Abkhaz news agency Apsnipress reported on December 2 that, due to cross-border movement restrictions imposed on the region by the Russian side at the Abkhaz border, the amount of freight imported to Abkhazia from Russia has been reduced from 100 tons to 15 tons per day.

Border restrictions include: a ban on imports of agricultural products from Abkhazia, closure of the railway link between Russia and Abkhazia and a nightly closure of the border.

According to the Apsnipress, the border between Russia and Abkhazia is has been closed from 6 pm to 9 am every night.

Exports of agricultural products, mainly tangerines and oranges, and cross-border trade with Russia represent the foundation of the current Abkhaz economy.

Apsnipress also reported that the current surplus of wheat in Abkhazia will be sufficient for 6-7 more months.