RUSSIAN-GEORGIAN BORDER CROSSING REOPENED
Radio Netherlands
ian-georgian-border-crossing-reopened
March 1 2010
The sole border crossing between Russia and Georgia, called Verkhny
Lars in Russian and Darial Gorge in Georgian, reopened at 7:00 am
local time this morning following a brief ceremony.
The crossing had been closed for three years. The re-opening is the
result of international mediation. The border crossing is the only
one that that does not entail travelling through the Russian-backed
rebel Georgian regions of South Ossetia or Abkhazia. Russia closed
the checkpoint in 2006 in retaliation against Tbilisi for making
overtures to the West.
The re-opening of the border crossing is seen as a first modest
step towards improved relations between Russian and Georgia. The
countries currently have no diplomatic relations and no air traffic
flies between them.
In the summer of 2008, an armed conflict took place between Russia and
Georgia. The Russians attacked when the Georgians tried to recapture
the renegade region of South Ossetia.
The re-opening of the crossing is expected primarily to benefit
Armenia, which had relied on it for its trade with Russia, its main
economic partner.