ArmInfo. During the upcoming May 24 talks in Prague with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, Georgia and Russia will form a special working group to implement the agreement on the mechanism of customs administration and monitoring of trade in goods.
As special chairman of Prime Minister of Georgia Zurab Abashidze stated in an interview with Radio Svoboda
According to Abashidze, the chance to reach a final agreement on the involvement of "trade corridors" appeared after Russia recently signed an agreement with the Swiss company SGS special contract of Swiss observers monitoring the movement of goods through Abkhazia and South Ossetia. "Georgia has issued a similar contract with the same company back in December," Abashidze stressed. At the same time, the Georgian diplomat said that, according to the fundamental agreement between Russia and Georgia "on the basic principles of the mechanism of customs administration and monitoring of trade in goods", 2011, Swiss observers will "monitor" the situation, both in Russia and Georgia, but without carrying out procedures for customs clearance of goods, but only for the purpose of collecting information on the movement of goods.
Earlier, the authorities of South Ossetia expressed doubts about the prospects of any Russian-Georgian agreements on the use of the territory of the partially recognized republic for the transit of goods to Armenia and Georgia without direct participation of Tskhinvali.
Abashidze excluded the participation of Tskhinvali, saying in a conversation with the RS, that Georgia does not recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and only Switzerland can be a "third party" to the agreement and monitoring.
The former military Georgian road through Upper Lars checkpoint since the beginning of the 1990s was the only ground route providing Armenia's connection with Russia. The checkpoint is periodically closed - in the winter due to avalanches, and in the spring - due to mudflows. On the need to create an alternative to the "Upper Lars" road, Karen Karapetyan spoke at the government meeting on January 26, 2017, when he was Prime Minister of Armenia. Alternatively, requiring a political solution for the countries of the region, there are roads connecting Georgia and Russia through the conflict zones - South Ossetia and Abkhazia.
According to the research of the British non-governmental organization International Alert, the reconstruction of the Abkhazian railway, which has been inoperative since 1991 on the route Sochi- Sukhumi-Tbilisi-Yerevan, will cost $ 277.5 million, which will be repaid not earlier than in 100 years. $ 251 million is required to restore the 190-kilometer Abkhazian section of Psou-Inguri, while from Inguri to Zugdidi, the cost will be only $ 26.5 dollars. From Zugdidi to Tbilisi and further to Yerevan, the road works and does not need repairs. It is noteworthy that according to the official conclusions of the Abkhaz experts this amount is $ 350-400 million, while their Georgian counterparts believe that it will require no more than $ 73 million.