Azerbaijani Motorists Traveling to Georgia for Repairs

Over the last three years the market of cars has been facing an interesting process: the owners of cars in Azerbaijan do a great way to Georgia, covering more than 1,000 miles in a round trip in order to repair or replace defective parts of their cars. Thus another "hole" opened for the flow of money to the neighboring country.

Motorists claim that repairs of European cars cost them two times cheaper in Georgia than in Baku or any other city in Azerbaijan. "Spare parts in Georgia are two times cheaper. Replacement of tires, brakes, windows, etc. is much cheaper and, therefore, we travel through Azerbaijan to repair our cars, relax and breathe the air of freedom in Georgia," said a youth from Baku, Nazim Mamedov.

According to him, he recently repaired a Mercedes for $ 1,000, which would have cost him $2,000 in Baku.

The current situation is known to the car distributors, too. In one of the distribution companies for the German cars they told Turan that the cause of this is the transparency policy of the government of Mikheil Saakashvili. "There is no corruption, and importers pay only official duties, which cannot be said about our country."

It is noteworthy that foreign cars arrive in Azerbaijan through Georgia. This country is visited mostly by those, who want to overhaul their cars. Experts believe that in this way several millions of AZN flow to Georgia every year. Note that in recent years the Azerbaijani citizens have been frequent guests in the resorts of Georgia, where tourism services are much cheaper, and the quality is higher than in their home country. -08B-