“Upper Lars” is a symbol of the lowest point: Russia showed Armenia the “cessation” of relations: EADaily

The international road checkpoint (MACP) “Upper Lars” should not be considered as just a checkpoint, it is a symbol. Its closure means the “cessation” of Armenian-Russian relations, because goods that are difficult to find in other places come from Russia to Armenia. Gagik Aghajanyan, director of the large Armenian transport and logistics company Apaven, stated this in a conversation with the NEWS.am news portal the day before, on November 29.

“Where do grains come from in Armenia? We import 400 thousand tons of wheat, a significant part of which is imported from Russia, although, of course, it would be good if there were different suppliers. Politicians should not interfere in the activities of economic entities and say that they are going to close the Upper Lars international checkpoint so that economic entities can sell their goods in other places. Business knows better how to organize this work and get maximum profit, which is also reflected in taxes,” — noted the publication’s interlocutor.

Aghajanyan said that in recent years, Armenian carriers have held discussions with members of the government and the president of the Transcaucasian republic only four times.

“Sometimes these discussions bear fruit, but we cannot prohibit politicians from spontaneously making certain statements,” – he emphasized.

He was not surprised by Russia’s steps to identify problems in Armenian products, given the foreign policy vector that is currently guiding the Armenian authorities.

“We saw from the example of other countries what happened. After all, a ban was introduced on the import of Turkish tomatoes and Georgian goods. It was clear that such steps would be taken. Tomorrow gas prices may rise. We either must be prepared for this or look for ways out of the situation that may arise. We are not against expanding the diversification of the sales market for our products, although even now exports are carried out not only to Russia. On the other hand, it is very difficult to penetrate markets where no one knows anything about your product, while products are exported to Russia for which you do not have to spend money on advertising. The brand “Armenian apricot” or “Armenian cognac” alone is enough to sell these goods in Russia. Now try sending this cognac to China. The same volume of sales will never be sold there as in Russia, whose population is 10 times smaller,” – said the head of the companies.

According to him, “Upper Lars” is currently closed to Armenian heavy vehicles at present and for objective reasons – due to weather conditions.

“Traffic jams also occur due to shift changes of (Russian) customs officers, although this factor does not play a significant role, since the delay in this case can last a maximum of two hours. In this case, the situation is different, the cars are simply parked at different terminals and cannot get to the checkpoint. Until the road is officially opened, the movement of freight transport there is impossible, and this will happen when the relevant services bring the road into proper condition after the snow has fallen,” – Agadzhanyan explained.

Ferry transportation, which the Armenian authorities often talk about, cannot replace cargo transportation through Upper Lars, since the ferry will never transport perishable goods, including fruits, as it may take too much time, the expert emphasized.

As for the “dry port” in the Armenian Gyumri, which the authorities of the republic have also often mentioned recently, it, as the NEWS.am interlocutor explained, must have a stable, uninterrupted connection with a regular port, otherwise it is not a “dry port”, but just a terminal.

“Which port will this connection be provided with? Have any documents been signed? The heads of the ports in Poti and Batumi told me that they have no idea what they are talking about,” – concluded the head of Apavena.

Representatives of Armenia and Russia will discuss the situation with the import of Armenian products to the Russian Federation within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Commission, the Minister of Economy said last Wednesday Vagan Kerobyancommenting on the statement of Rosselkhoznadzor.

As noted EADailyin the current difficulties of Armenian exporters and cargo carriers on the Russian-Georgian border, commentators in Yerevan previously saw not only climate reasons, but also “political implications” after the Prime Minister’s refusal Nikol Pashinyan participate in the CSTO summit in Minsk last week.