TBILISI, DFWatch – The Swiss company SGS will monitor the movement of goods on Russian-Georgian border from September 1, 2012.

November 9, 2011, the governments of Georgia and Russia signed a deal which paved the way for Russia’s WTO membership, with Switzerland as a mediator.

The first document is a bilateral agreement about customs administration and the movement of goods, while the other one is a memorandum of mutual understanding which strengthens the role of Switzerland in a neutral third party role.

The third document contains the following: all the three parties Georgia, Russia and Switzerland exchanged documents with a goal of defining the conditions of an internationally recognized neutral company which will be granted a monitoring mandate by Switzerland.

The process includes system of information sharing and a system of international supervision.

The monitoring company will get information about goods in order to manage risks before foods get into trade tunnels. The information is about import of goods, receiver of goods, sending country, destination country, entrance and exit terminals, weight, and numbers of containers.

There will be three trade tunnels on the border – Psou [Abkhazia], Roki [South Ossetia] and Larsi [Kazbegi].

The administration and control of shipments will be carried out at customs terminals located at the entrance and exit of trade tunnels.

For the last few months, Switzerland has been selecting a company to monitor the movement of goods across the border.

Sergi Kapanadze, Georgia’s deputy foreign affairs minister, says that the company is in fact selected and this will be the Swiss company SGS.

“Now details are being agreed,” he said, adding that according to the latest information, the company will start its activity on September 1.