PM Erdogan, Saakashvili open upgraded Sarp border gate

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili yesterday attended an opening ceremony for the revamped Sarp gate along the border between the two countries. The new customs gate, built by the Turkish Union of Chambers and Commodities Exchanges (TOBB), has been completed only on the Turkish side of the border; the Georgian side is due to be finished in the near future. Speaking at the ceremony, Erdogan said the new gate would boost bilateral trade ties and contribute to tourism. He also said Turkish investors are ready to take part in Georgia's economy, adding that he believes commerce between the two countries will improve despite the global economic crisis. For his part, Saakashvili said, "My dear brother told me: 'The visa requirement will be eliminated and a free trade zone agreement will be signed.' Now this has happened. A large number of goods are circulating free of bureaucratic hurdles."