The free trade agreement signed between Georgia and Turkey on November 21 will see tariffs on wine and citrus exports from Georgia waived, although negotiations are continuing on other goods.

Tbilisi stepped up calls for a free trade agreement with Turkey after a Russian embargo was imposed on Georgia in autumn 2006, and the government initially announced it would be finalized by March.

With the agreement finally in place, the government hopes Georgian exports to Turkey—particularly in the agricultural sphere—will increase. Already, Turkey has become Georgia’s main trading partner this year, accounting for around 14 percent of Georgia’s total trade turnover between January and September, according to the Economist Intelligence Unit.

Tariffs will be waived on 1.3 million bottles of wine, and 4000 tons of oranges and tangerines. Formerly, the tariffs were at 70 percent and 54 percent respectively, according to the newspaper Alkhali Taoba.

Negotiations are continuing on tariffs for dairy products, tomatoes, honey, nuts, grapes, tea tinned goods and tobacco.