Long queues formed on Turkey-Georgia border due to bad weather
By Burak Karaca
Long truck queues have formed at Turkey's Sarp border gate in Artvin with Georgia due to bad weather conditions, Yeni Shafak newspaper has reported.
Osman Caliskan, chairman of the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEK) Turkey-Georgia Business Council, stated that contacts with both Turkey and Georgia regarding the problem are ongoing.
He emphasized that long lines have formed at the Sarp border gate in Turkey due to heavy snowfall in Georgia.
Caliskan noted that between 500 and 600 trucks pass through the Sarp border gate daily, but this number has decreased to 100 or 120 trucks on average due to the bad weather conditions.
Furthermore, he stated that trucks from various regions of Turkey heading to the Sarp gate have caused even longer lines at the border.
According to information received from the field, the truck queue has been reduced to 10 kilometers (approximately 500 trucks), and Georgia's weather conditions remain the only obstacle to returning to normal.
It is estimated that removing vehicle traffic on the Georgian side will take two days if full capacity is restored. Furthermore, the queue system, which cannot be used due to the risk of landslides, exacerbates the problem.
On the other hand, the queues were linked to the rising number of coronavirus cases in Georgia, and it was claimed that the disruption would last until the cases were resolved.
The Sarp Border Gate, as the most important logistics point because of its route, contributes significantly to Turkey's exports and is regarded as the country's access point to the Caucasus.
While many claims have been made about the truck queue, drivers using the Turkgozu and Aktas border gates in Ardahan switched to the Sarp border gate, resulting in high density on the border.
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