Europe

Europe

Georgia and Turkey to establish a new border checkpoint

13 January 2012 16:35 (UTC +04:00)

Georgia. Nizami Mammadzadeh â€“ APA. â€œGeorgia will establish links with the European railway traffic through Turkey, because Turkey is our window to Europe. The permanent railway traffic with Europe will be launched in 2013. The modern Baku-Tbilisi-Kars-Akhalkalaki will be a great geopolitical breakthrough,â€ Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili said in Turkey while meeting with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, APAâ€™s Georgia bureau reports.

The sides discussed a number of issues related to joint cooperation. Georgian President said Turkey has great importance and is the regional leader.

The establishment of a new border checkpoint between the two countries was also discussed that day.

â€œPreviously, we were separated by iron curtains. No we have visa-free and passport-free relations. Thousands and sometimes tens of thousands of citizens of Turkey and Georgia cross Georgia-Turkey border without passports. We have reached an agreement to open a new border checkpoint in Maradid and Machakhela gorge, built a big border point in Sarpi and are working to extend this point in Turkey, so that our citizens do not stand in queues,â€ he said.