Upper Lars Checkpoint Closed and Expected to Remain Closed for About a Week

The Upper Lars checkpoint is closed and is expected to remain closed for about a week, according to Aram Tananyan, the customs attaché at the Armenian Embassy in Russia, in an interview with Lragir.am.

“The checkpoint was closed last night for the first time. It is snowing heavily up there and there are strong winds. It is forecasted that it will continue to snow for at least a week, so the checkpoint may remain closed. No one is telling us how long it will be closed; we are making assumptions based on the forecasts. As long as it continues to snow, no one is clearing the road here. Even if they do some light clearing, it is only to allow local residents to move through, not for trucks,” he said.

According to Tananyan, there are about 100 trucks stuck on the Russian side of the checkpoint, and about the same number on the Georgian side. This includes trucks from all countries. “In other words, the situation isn't too bad; there is only about 1.5 kilometers of queue on the Russian side. During these three days, the number of vehicles has not significantly increased, likely because people are following the forecasts and it’s not convenient for them to travel and get stuck on the roads, as they end up incurring fines,” he added.

Tananyan mentioned that the queues are shorter because usually, the volume of freight transport decreases in January compared to other months. “Moreover, they say that this year the volume is even weaker. It has never been this low before, meaning that both the coronavirus and the economic situation have consequences. Entrepreneurs have called me to ask about the situation, and I said this is the case. No one wants to come and get stuck in these mountains, racking up fines,” he concluded.