Armenian Drivers Face Discrimination While Turkish Vehicles Pass Unimpeded: Concerns Raised by Drivers

“These queues are not solely caused by weather conditions. My car has been parked in Vladikavkaz for nearly 12 days, and not just my vehicle, but many others are stuck there too. The drivers are not provided with clear information about when they will be allowed to move or why they are parked. They have simply been told it’s a queue, and they are not allowed to remove their vehicles from the parking area,” said businessman Erik Sahakyan in an interview with ArmDaily.am. His car has been stuck in Vladikavkaz, unable to pass through Lars for 12 days.

“I have spoken to my driver, who says that Turkish vehicles have preferential treatment; they are allowed to reach the Lars checkpoint to pass through, while the situation is different for Armenian cars. A significant portion of our vehicles are loaded with food, meaning there are products with expiration issues. Naturally, apart from Vladikavkaz, there are also vehicles stuck at the Urukh checkpoint, and they are not being allowed to pass from there either. They do not provide any serious reasons, yet the roads are open,” he stated.

When asked if everyone is facing this issue or if it is only related to Armenians and Armenian vehicles, Sahakyan responded, “Everyone is stuck in line; it depends on whether they are Turkish vehicles or others that have taken steps to receive preferential treatment. Of course, they do not give such privileges just for the sake of having pretty eyes. This whole situation is being exploited, and weather conditions are also being used for profit. This has been the way for years.”

In response to a comment linking this situation to profit-making, he stated, “Of course, there is no difference for them regarding your nationality; they resolve issues in this manner. I cannot specify the amounts in question.”

Regarding the measures they have taken in this situation, the businessman mentioned, “Yesterday, about 15-20 of our drivers tried to contact our representative in Lars, but they were informed that the representative is not in Lars. This means there is no official authority there to assist the drivers. Their vehicles are now being stopped at the whim of authorities. The vehicles parked in the parking lot incur daily fees. Today, my driver managed to leave the parking area and join the queue on the road. However, apart from this queue, there are vehicles being taken through without waiting, primarily those belonging to Turks, who, according to their assertion, know how to resolve issues better.”

According to information obtained from the Crisis Management Center of Russia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations in North Ossetia, approximately 1,000 trucks are currently accumulated on the Russian side.