Sergey Katyrin, president of the Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, spoke to Rossiyskaya Gazeta, a Russian new outlet, about the prospects for developing business ties between Russia and Georgia. He spoke in particular, of the need to start rail transit through the territory of occupied Abkhazia.
According Sergey Katyrin the railway transit should also be organized along the Silk Road route: China, Iranian port Bandarabas, Astara, Iran, Astara, Azerbaijan, Gabala, Azerbaijan, Marneuli, Georgia and then through the territory of Abkhazia to Russia. He noted: “This will, among other things, allow long-term gas and oil supply contracts to be concluded at stable and predictable prices”.
The Russian official said rail transit “would relieve the burden on the Upper Lars [Larsi] border crossing and reduce the cost of delivered goods by increasing their volume” adding that “given the current situation with the transit of Russian goods through Turkey, organizing such a scheme is vital.”
Katyrin said that the Russian-Georgian Business Council which had been set up under the Chamber of Commerce and Industry this year “has already started discussing specific issues” and that “there is interest from certain circles in Georgia” adding that there are a lot of businessmen who are interested and who are looking for support from the Russian side.
He said: “Air service, visa regime – this is a signal that our country wants to cooperate with Georgia. And this is the first thing we talked about as we created the Council.”
Among the directions the Russian side is interested in pursuing, he mentioned “the basis of Russian exports” – oil products, gas, coal, oil, wheat, and wheat flour. Among exports for Georgia, he cited wine, spirits, mineral water, ferroalloys, and cars. Katyrin stressed that “there is an opportunity to increase trade turnover”, noting that in the first three months of this year it has already increased by 73% as compared to 2022.
Notably, in an interview to Public Broadcaster on May 16, Georgian Dream leader Irakli Kobakhidze who is considered to be a mouthpiece of the party, when asked whether there are more steps in sight in rapprochement with Russia, in the wake of the lifting by Russia of the visa regime and flight ban on Georgia, including the resumption of the Karasin-Abashidze format, said: “Our main goal is to protect the interests of the country and our people, not to open the second front… So of course we can discuss other issues in this context,” – noting that to do so quickly will be “difficult”.
The issue of opening additional routes with Russia is highly controversial one in Georgia and sparked a scandal at the beginning of this year as an audio recording leaked to the Georgian media outlets, in which Grigory Karasin, Chairman of the Russian Federation Council’s Foreign Affairs Committee, and Zurab Abashidze, the Georgian Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Russia, discuss the construction of a new road linking Russia and Georgia. Abashidze has confirmed the authenticity of the recording.
Also Read:
- 10/05/2023 – Russia Abolishes Visa Regime and Lifts Ban on Airline Flights with Georgia Starting May 15
- 27/03/2023 – Prospects for Economic Cooperation Explored at Russia-Georgian Economic Forum in Moscow
- 22/02/2023 – TI Georgia: Georgia’s Economic Dependence on Russia Increased in 2022
- 03/02/2023 – U.S. State Department: Resumption of Flights with Russia May Entail Sanctions for Companies Involved
- 02/02/2023 – Karasin-Abashidze Audio Recording Sparks Opposition Criticism
- 10/02/2021 – Abkhazia Seeks Involvement in Russo-Armenian Railway Project
