Moscow calls Tbilisi to thoroughly examine treaty on border monitoring

The Russian foreign ministry is perplexed at the January 27 protest note from the Georgian foreign ministry regarding the Russia-Abkhazia and Russia – South Ossetia interaction in customs field, says a statement released by the Russian ministry’s press office.

The Russian ministry says that instead of criticizing Russia’s cooperation with third countries, the Georgian foreign ministry needs to examine thoroughly the bilateral Russian-Georgian treaty on customs administration and trade monitoring of November 2011. “Judging by recent statements of Georgian officials they are unfamiliar with the document. Meanwhile, soon, they will have to fulfil it under control of a Swiss monitoring company with which Georgia has already signed a contract. The Russian party, in turn, as it was reported before, is completing preparations for signing necessary Russian-Swiss documents that will allow starting practical implementation of the 2011 treaty that is very significant for the regional trade,” the Russian statement runs.

EADaily reported earlier that a customs point was opened in early January at Razdakhan border checkpoint in Leningori District of South Ossetia on the border with Georgia. Last year, it was announced that a new special customs point would be launched in Sukhum, Abkhazia. It would be controlled by the Russian Customs Service.

The Georgian foreign ministry condemned opening of the customs points ignoring stance of the republics and saying Russia was responsible for it. In Georgia, they treated it like “an illegal action to annexation of the regions by the Russian Federation.” The Georgian ministry believes that Russia intends integrating South Ossetia and Abkhazia into the single customs area. Tbilisi called Moscow to stop “provocative actions aimed at annexing territories of the sovereign state.”