Volume of Turkish-Russian cargo transportation via Abkhazia triples amid Russia-Ukraine war
Volume of cargo transportation through Abkhazia triples amid Russia-Urkaine war
Transit trade through Abkhazia has increased significantly due to the war in Ukraine and sanctions imposed on Russia by the West. Cargo from Russia reaches Abkhazian ports by rail and is usually transported to Turkey. This road is also used in the opposite direction – from Turkey to Russia.
The volume of cargo transported by the Abkhazian railway only in the last five months is more than in the whole of last year.
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“The main transit cargo is coal. However, the range of transit cargo is expanding every time. For example, we recently transported hydrogen peroxide for the first time. Now we are fulfilling many orders for the transportation of plywood, which is sent from Tatarstan to Turkey”, says a representative of the Abkhazian railway.
Orders for the Abkhaz railway station for the transportation of goods are growing, but technical problems prevent the use of the entire volume. In particular, the Abkhazian railway is not adapted to receive and handle large-capacity containers. Now the leadership is trying to solve this problem and, probably, by the end of June, the transit of large-tonnage cargo through Abkhazia will be possible.
For the second day now, JAMnews has been trying to get answers to several questions from the Georgian Foreign Ministry about the growth in cargo transportation through Abkhazia, but to no avail.
The Maritime Transport Agency did not answer a single question, citing the fact that this was not within their competence.
The Ministry of Economy told JAMnews that they knew nothing about it. The Turkish embassy in Georgia also states that they do not have such information.
Turkey is the only NATO member that has not joined the international sanctions against Russia, although Ankara has condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Earlier, President Erdogan called Russia’s recognition of the independence of the so-called LPR and DPR unacceptable.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan explained this by the need for natural gas and said that almost half of the required resources come from Russia. He also mentioned the construction of the AKKUYU nuclear power plant with Russian assistance.
“First, I cannot leave my people cold in the winter. Besides, I cannot stop our industry”, Erdogan said.
Russia and Turkey have close economic ties. Turkey is the fifth-largest export market for Russia and Russia is the tenth largest for Turkey.
According to the Turkish Statistical Service, in February this year, data on the purchase of housing by Russian citizens in the country increased by 96%. According to Forbes, in March, Russian citizens established 64 companies in Turkey, twice as many as in February. In addition, the possibility of obtaining citizenship as a result of investment is an easy solution for Russian oligarchs.
At the same time, Turkey has close relations with Ukraine. In addition to economic ties, Ankara supplies weapons to Kyiv. This is a Turkish-made Bayraktar unmanned aerial vehicle, which Ukrainians successfully use against the Russian army. In addition, due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ankara closed the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits to warships.
After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Turkey is trying to be the main mediator between the two countries, and negotiations between them were held in Istanbul. Earlier, Erdogan said that Turkey considers both countries its friends. At the same time, Ankara recognizes and supports the territorial integrity of Ukraine.
