Since Russia imposed a blanket trade embargo on Georgia last year, trade between the two states has been largely one-sided: Georgia no longer benefits from the Russian export market, although it remains dependent on Russian energy supplies.

According to the Georgia media, however, ordinary Georgians fear serious consequences if Russian imports completely cease, something which some Russian politicians have threatened.

Georgian politicians are adamant that such a scenario would not be problematic.

“I can’t say we import many products from Russia at the moment. If trading with Russia completely stops, we will look to Turkey—it is not very difficult to substitute one importer with another,” commented Niko Lekishvili, chairman of the parliamentary Sector Economy and Economic Policy Committee, according to the newspaper Versia.