On October 7 the Georgian Customs Department denied reports that the Russian side reopened its border with Georgia at the Larsi checkpoint, which has been closed since the hostage-taking tragedy in Beslan early last month.
Georgian and Russian media sources reported that the border was scheduled to be opened for couple of hours and only for those trucks moving from Russia to Armenia. ?But the border remains closed still,? chief of Georgia’s Customs Northern Department Kakha Mikeladze told Civil Georgia.
He said that after the Beslan tragedy in North Ossetia the border was opened only twice ? on September 8 and September 12, for 2 hours each time.
?Georgian buses and trucks are no longer stuck at the border, since most of the trucks are waiting at various customs terminals of Georgia for the border to open. However, over 460 vehicles are still stuck on the Russian side of the border,? Kakha Mikeladze said.
According to the Georgian Customs Department, the state budget has already lost about 4 million Lari as a result of the closing of the Larsi checkpoint.