Turkey begins restructure of Sarpi customs checkpoint
Tweet 
Share
Turkey is promising to reorganise the Sarpi customs checkpoint that connects Turkey with Georgia in a bid to make facilitation of trade easier between the two neighbouring states.
Georgia's Finance Minister Nodar Khaduri met Turkey's Minister of Customs and Trade Nurettin Canikli in Tbilisi today to discuss ways to make trading between Georgia and Turkey easier and more efficient.
"Customs development is very important for both sides. Turkey is starting to reorganise the Sarpi customs checpopint. Construction of the Kartsakhi customs crossing point is coming to an end as well," Khaduri said.
"[Turkey'] Canikli admitted that problems at Sarpi customs were caused by the Turkish side. He introduced his plans regarding the reorganisation of Sarpi customs checkpoint. I hope there will be no queues at Georgian customs anymore,” Khaduri said.
The Sarpi customs checkpoint is located in south-west Georgia on the border with Turkey.
At the meeting both sides agreed that it was "very important" to take a more active stance to promote joint trade and economic cooperation.
"Georgia and Turkey are partner countries [and] trade potential is very high ... but it would be beneficial to make it more active," Canikli said.
"After reorganisation of the Sarpi customs checkpoint, trade will boost between Georgia and Turkey. We will do our best to support importer and exporter companies and their activities. The Baku-Tbilisi-Kars project and the Childir-Aktash border crossing will also contribute to more intensive trade cooperation,” Canikli said.
The Turkish minister emphasized Turkey recognised the territorial integrity of Georgia and promised that Turkey will support Georgia’s European aspiration on an international scale.
From the Georgian side, Khaduri said: "We have talked about Georgia’s territorial integrity, which is a very painful issue for us. Nurettin Canikli emphasized that the Turkish government respects the territorial integrity of Georgia. He promised that the Turkish government will do its best to make sure their citizens not to violate Georgia’s law of occupation."
Canikli was accompanied to Georgia by a Turkish delegation. While here the group will see Georgia's customs and tax infrastructure. They will also meet Turkish businessmen in Georgia.
A section of coastline and roadways in Georgia’s Black Sea towns Senaki-Poti-Sarpi, where erosion is threatening beachfront, will be soon corrected and restored.
Georgia and Turkey are simplifying bilateral customs rules to make it easier for goods to pass between the two nations.
The Foreign Minister of Turkey Mevlut Cavusoglu says his country will raise the issue of Georgia’s membership into the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) at the Alliance’s upcoming Warsaw Summit in Poland on July 8-9.
Turkey is interested in importing more Georgian goods and further enhancing economic ties, Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu told Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili today.
A queue management system has been launched at the Sarpi customs checkpoint that is located in the south-west of Georgia on the border with Turkey to increase the flow capacity and improve the transit potential of Georgia.
A new passage has been opened at the Sarpi customs checkpoint that is located in the south-west of Georgia on the border with Turkey, announced the Ministry of Finance today.