Russia has cut a supply line of goods to Turkey through occupied Abkhazia, Alias Labakhua, the first deputy chairman of the State Customs Committee of the de-facto republic confirms.
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According to Labakhua, cargo cycling has ramped up in the first quarter of 2023, relative to last year, which is a result of a number of contributing factors, chief among which is the increased volume of supply.
“62 containers had recently arrived. This was a transit of cargo from Russia to Turkey. This was not the first occurrence, there were others, albeit low-volume. The train will return carrying other goods for Russian Federation.
In accordance with the agreement set between the authorities of Abkhazia and Russia, parties must ensure unimpeded transit of goods through each other’s territory. The customs tax is not high, but the precedent of such operations on our territory is promising: a delivery today, another tomorrow, and cent-by-cent, the earnings will compile into a considerable income into our state budget,” states Labakhua.
Abkhazia Railway reported on March 30th that a container train entered the railway station Sokhumi on March 23rd, which was the first such event in the history of Abkhazia Railway. A 62-container train was carrying 2700 tons of cargo.
“The head of state Aslan Bzhania provided us with significant support. He personally contacted the general director of the open joint-stock company Russian Railways, Oleg Belozerov, before the departure of the first train and helped us resolve difficulties with the project,” said Okhtai Khazirishi, Abkhazia Railway representative.
Based on photos published by Abkhazia Railway, the transportation was carried out by a contained train of the international transport logistics company SMARTLOG. The company operates the following routes: China – Kazakhstan/Turkey – China, Russia – Central Asia – Russia, Transcaspian international transport route, North–South, China – Europe – China, and China – Uzbekistan – China.
The Georgian authorities did not comment on cargo transportation through the occupied region.