Georgian Side Prevents Cargo from Russia to Armenia from Crossing Border for Two Weeks

For nearly two weeks, the Georgian side has been preventing cargo from Russia to Armenia from crossing the border. The cargo consists of explosives used for industrial purposes in sectors such as mining and road construction.

Several vehicles loaded with Russian-produced explosives have passed all procedures on the Russian side in Lars, but the Georgian side is blocking their entry through the customs borders of Georgia. These shipments are intended for the operations of the mining company “Geopromining” and the Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Combine.

In an interview with Aravot.am, Anna Badikova, head of the external economic relations department at the major Russian company “Promsintez,” stated that they have been exporting their products to Armenia for many years for companies like “Geopromining” and the Agarak Copper-Molybdenum Combine, as well as other Armenian companies. This year alone, approximately 40 vehicles have been dispatched, with shipments expected to occur every month as per established protocols.

Ms. Badikova indicated that on July 16 and 24, vehicles were loaded and reached Lars, having crossed to the Russian side, but are now halted on the Georgian side, specifically in the neutral zone between Russia and Georgia. “We have sent letters to the Georgian government and customs service, but we have not received any response. No explanations have been provided as to why the cargo is being prevented from reaching Armenia. Moreover, this is the first time such an occurrence has happened. We are one of the largest companies, with many years of experience, and we have been sending shipments to Armenia for a long time without any issues,” she added.

The company “Geopromining” confirmed to Aravot.am that their cargo is currently stalled in Lars. They have reached out to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, but have not received a response. The company stated that such cargos cannot be ordered, purchased, and used for the entire year at once. “We have a schedule with our suppliers that allows for deliveries 3-4 times during the month. Currently, we have a small amount of product in stock, but if the issue is not resolved urgently, our operations will come to a halt within a week,” the company warned.

Furthermore, they assured that all necessary permits for importing the explosives used in the mining industry have been obtained in advance, and all permits and agreements for transit transportation throughout the year were secured. However, approximately 46 tons of cargo are now stuck at the border, with more vehicles needing to be loaded and dispatched. Still, due to the artificial obstacles posed by the Georgian side, the Russian supplier is refraining from sending them out of fear that the vehicles will be halted at the border.

Due to this arbitrary situation caused by the Georgian side, the construction work on the Vedi reservoir has also come to a standstill. In an interview with us, Fred Nazaryan, founder and director of “Bekor” LLC, which conducts drilling and blasting operations, expressed that he is awaiting the shipment of explosives to continue work on the dam and the construction of the most challenging part of the Alaverdi road. The company has been importing this product from Russia—specifically from “Promsintez” and “Azotvzriv”—for 29 years.

Mr. Nazaryan stated that these two companies are hesitant to send the orders for “Bekor” out of fear that they may encounter the same fate as the others: “Now, we need to blast rock at the dam, but the work is halted, and the same is true for the road in Alaverdi. However, there is no issue with our documentation; there isn’t even a missing period. The transit transport has been agreed upon with Georgia.”