New tensions have emerged on Georgia\'s border with Azerbaijan over allegations of smuggling and a rail cargo dispute. Georgian police clashed with the local ethnic Azeri population after customs officials raided homes and confiscated what they said were smuggled goods. In Azerbaijan, the authorities are preventing more than 1,000 railway wagons entering Georgia. They claim there is evidence the cargo is bound for Armenia, a country still officially at war with Azerbaijan. The border between Azerbaijan and Georgia has always been notorious for smuggling, which is the only source of income for thousands of people who live in towns in the area. But Azeris say police are specifically targeting them, leaving local Georgians unpunished. For its part, Tbilisi is critical of Azerbaijani customs officials, who are holding up more than 1,000 railway wagons on the border. They are refusing to let them through because they believe some of the goods inside are destined for Armenia. Georgia\'s relationship with Azerbaijan is crucial to the fragile stability of the region, where there are serious ethnic tensions and several unresolved conflicts. It is no less important for the multi-billion dollar Western pipeline for the transportation of oil from the Caspian to Turkey, through Azerbaijan and Georgia. (BBC)