Russian-Georgian Economic Commission Meets in Tbilisi
The sixth session of the Russian-Georgian intergovernmental commission for economic cooperation was opened in Tbilisi on December 16. The session is co-chaired by Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin and Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Nogaideli.
The issues of bilateral trade-economic relations, cooperation in the field of energy, gas industry, transport and communication will be discussed at the session.
Russian Transport Minister Igor Levitin did not rule out that the issue of resumption of the Russian-Georgian railway via Abkhazia will probably be discussed at the session.
“I think, we [Georgia, Russia] are close to reaching an agreement on resumption of the railway,” Levitin told reporters on December 16.
Georgian State Minister for Reform Issues Kakha Bendukidze said that the Georgian side plans to push the issue of removing illegal checkpoints on the Abkhaz and South Ossetian sections of the Russian-Georgian border and deploying Georgian customs officers at the Roki tunnel, which links breakaway South Ossetia with the Russian Federation, as well as at the Adleri-Leselidze border checkpoint in breakaway Abkhazia.
“We think that these checkpoints were opened illegally, without prior notification of the Georgian side. Hence, the Georgian side has not given its consent. This directly contradicts the principles and key provisions of the World Trade Organization,” Kakha Bendukidze said.
This issue was also pushed by Economy Minister Irakli Chogovadze at the Sixth World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Conference in Hong Kong on December 13-18.
