“If They Have Started with Iranians, It Will End with Us”: Goris Municipality Official on the Notorious Checkpoint

At the Azerbaijani police checkpoint located in the Vorotan section of the Goris-Kapan road, officers are demanding cash payments from Iranian truck drivers in order to pass through this area of the road. The fees vary depending on the type of vehicle.

Karen Kocharyan, the deputy mayor of Goris, elaborated on what the Iranian drivers have reported during a conversation with “Factinfo.”

“One of the drivers reported that they are charging $30 for transaction paperwork, $130 for road use, $260 for transporting loads on ‘Shalands,’ and $500 for fuel. They say that if the payment is not made, they will not be allowed to pass that road a second time,” he said.

Azerbaijani police take the passport and vehicle details from drivers who do not make the payment. Kocharyan noted that there is still no clear information about this practice. “If they do not have money, they have to go back to Iran, they provide an account number for making the payment. They take pictures of all the documents,” he added.

The deputy mayor reported that the residents are worried. When passing through that road, if one slows down even slightly, they have to hear the voices of the Azerbaijanis. “Our people are very anxious. Right now, an armed Azerbaijani is stopping the vehicles coming from Iran. So far, there haven’t been any incidents on our part. As soon as you slow down or stop a bit, they yell at you, ‘Come on, drive fast, move on.’ For now, this is all, but it does not bode well. If they have started with Iranians, it will end with us,” Kocharyan stated.

Recall that just the day before, Armenia’s National Security Service reported that starting from 12:00 PM on September 12, Azerbaijani police have been conducting checks on the drivers and cargo documents of Iranian trucks near the village of Vorotan, which is under Azerbaijani control along the Goris-Kapan interstate road. “Joint efforts are being undertaken by the Border Forces of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia and the Border Service of the Federal Security Service of Russia to address the emerging situation,” the NSS communicated. It is noteworthy that in the official statement, the NSS used the Azerbaijani name of the Armenian settlement.