traveling around the black sea from uk to turkey via russia

[doverbiker]

Can any one help with some up dated info please
i wish to travel from russia into gerogia then on to turkey, i depart from the uk on 1st june 2011, the laskars border was declared open in june 2010, but i cant get reliable reprots as to if its open and if so is it open for international bike travellers like me or just russians and georgians?can anyone help with some up to date info on the status of that border crossing.....please

[Tony P]

My understanding is that for some time (more than a year or two) only CIS passport holders can cross the road border between Georgia and Russia.
I do follow the local english language papers in Moscow but have seen nothing to change that.

However I have have seen this article elsewhere which hardly clears things. It is uncertain if this refers to Georgia and Russia nationals only or CIS only or any nationals. Visas required.
[url=http://www.rferl.org/content/GeorgiaRussia_Border_Crossing_Reopened/1970891.html]Georgia-Russia Border Crossing Reopened - Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty

Sorry, can't make link work even though I have the article. I'll CnP it below-

""Georgia has reopened a Caucasus mountain border crossing with Russia that has been closed for more than three years amid hostilities between the two countries.

The checkpoint at Verkhny Lars is the only land border crossing between the two countries that does not pass through Georgia's separatist, Russian-backed regions of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.

A Georgian Foreign Ministry statement said the crossing from today will be open to people, vehicles, and cargo, but visas will still be required for Russian citizens to enter Georgia. Visas will not be issued at the crossing.

Russia closed the crossing in 2006 as ties between Moscow and the pro-Western Georgian government worsened, climaxing in the brief 2008 war between Russia and Georgia over South Ossetia.

The closing of the crossing marked a blow to traders in Armenia, who relied on the crossing as an overland route to business in Russia. ""

[Tony P]

Looking further into it I suspect that article was the opening of the border to CIS only.

There was a thread about it some time ago.