Armenian Economy Minister Artsvik Minasyan is sure that temporary closure of the Georgian Military Road in the very season of export of agricultural products will definitely have negative consequences for the country's economy, he told journalists on the sidelines of the 9th session of the Consultative Committee for Entrepreneurship of the Eurasian Economic Commission. He emphasized that steps should be made to soften as much as possible this negative influence. The Minister informed that Armenia's Trade Representation in Russia was instructed to exert maximum efforts for organization of prompt sale of products delivered to Russia. "This will help in someway to compensate for the losses caused by closure of Upper Lars border checkpoint", Minasyan stated.
According to him alternative ways of export from Armenia to Russia and the EEU are being discussed, including by conducting air freight forwarding using Armenian-Russian partner relations and opportunities within EEU. "We discuss this alternative for emergency situations and for transportation of perishable products, which will naturally be conducted on affordable conditions", Minasyan stated.
The Economy Minister refrained from giving assessments of negative impact on the country's economy caused by closure of the Upper Lars checkpoint. "It is early to talk about numbers but it is obvious that this will have negative influence on the country's turnover indicators", the minister stated.
To recall, on June 23 Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars road was closed because of a mudflow. The only overland road linking Armenia to Russia lies through the Upper Lars checkpoint on the Russian- Georgian border. The closure led to gathering of more than 200 trucks and 40 cars on the borderline. Spayka LLC freight forwarding company has rented three ferries to ensure nonstop export of agricultural products of Armenia due to the closure of the Upper Lars checkpoint. At the same time the cost of transporting goods by one truck totals 1 thousand USD.