Georgia to block traffic from Russia through uncontrolled tunnel
By Eka Mekhuzla
ITAR-TASS News Agency
October 14, 2004 Thursday
TBILISI, October 14 — Georgian authorities will not allow passenger
buses and cargoes to enter the country through the Roksky tunnel, said
Mikhail Kareli, governor of a region bordering Georgia’s breakaway
province of South Ossetia.
“It is impermissible that cargoes and passengers enter Georgia
through this tunnel, a territory not controlled by authorities of
the country. There are official customs posts for this,” Kareli said,
commenting on the situation near the village of Ergneti in the area
of the South Ossetian conflict, where two passenger buses en route
from Russia to Armenia were stopped a few days ago.
The buses were blocked on the grounds that passengers had papers
showing that they had passed customs and border control at the Georgian
check post Kazbegi.
According to the Georgian side, the buses entered Georgia through
the Roksky tunnel controlled by South Ossetian authorities, although
Tbilisi declared this stretch of the Georgian-Russian border closed.
All cars, passenger buses and cargoes coming from Russia to Georgia
must be checked at Russia’s post Verkny Lars and then at Kazbegi.
Both checkposts are located near the Georgian border with North
Ossetia, Russia’s republic bordering South Ossetia.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress