“Echo of the Caucasus” has published an article discussing the purpose of the customs terminal being built at Enguri in occupied Abkhazia.

According to the outlet, Astamur Akhsalba, the executive director of the so-called Transit and Logistics Company, spoke about the goals, prospects, and geopolitical context of the transit project, noting that about 80% of construction work is already completed.

“Construction work is almost finished, and Sokhumi is ‘hypothetically ready’ to start cargo transit. Tbilisi remains silent. The construction of the cargo terminal at the ‘Enguri checkpoint’ remained a classified project for a long time. Neither Sokhumi, Moscow, nor Tbilisi made any official comments about it,” the publication writes.

Akhsalba said the project was intentionally kept secret due to the “difficult geopolitical situation.”

“A war is underway nearby, and the entire West is confronting the Russian Federation. Because of this, we had to temporarily halt the project in order to protect Abkhazia itself and the project. We had to work quietly to launch it successfully,” Akhsalba stated.

He noted that the idea of creating a transport hub is linked to an agreement signed between the customs services of Russia and Abkhazia in 2010–2011.

“Implementation of this project was impossible due to the geopolitical situation formed by 2012–2014, the situation in Georgia, and objective reasons related to former President Saakashvili’s administration. After the war in Ukraine, the project gained vital significance for Russia,” he said.

Akhsalba claimed that negotiations are underway in Russia with representatives of third countries regarding the transit route’s prospects - specifically, India, Iran, and Azerbaijan are reportedly interested in the terminal’s operation.

He added that European states may also show interest:

“When we talk about sanctions, this is one of the opportunities for Russia, because there are European countries that want to trade with Russia, and it is interesting for them as well.”

According to Akhsalba, Georgian citizens will not be able to participate in the transit:

“Not until good-neighborly relations are established - at the very least, at the level of a non-use of force agreement,” he said.