Volume of Georgian-Russian trade reached $128.6m in first 9 months of 2002

The volume of trade between Georgia and Russia reached $128.6m in the first nine months of 2002, exceeding that in the corresponding period of 2001 by 8.3%. The State Statistics Department of Georgia reported that trade with Russia made up 16.8% of the total volume of Georgia's foreign trade.

The volume of trade between Georgia and CIS countries amounted to $323.4m in January-September 2002, exceeding that in the first nine months of 2001 by 6.7%. The volume of trade with CIS countries made up 42.3% of the total volume of Georgia's foreign trade (the corresponding figure for 2001 was 38.9%). Georgia's foreign trade deficit is by 31.3% due to the trade with CIS countries. Georgia's other main trading partners are Turkey (the trade volume is $103.9m, which makes up 13.6% of the total trade volume), Azerbaijan ($81.2m - 10.6%), Ukraine ($46m - 6%), and Germany ($45.9m, 6%).

Georgia's foreign trade volume amounted to $764m in the first nine months of 2002. The volume of exports reached $240.2m (94.1% of that in the corresponding period of last year), and the volume of imports amounted to $523.8m ($100.1%), the Black Sea Press news agency reported.