Long Line of Trucks on the 'Larsi' Road—25% Are Armenian

Drivers are waiting for their turn to pass, with some vehicles stuck on the road for nearly two weeks. They are complaining about the lack of food, water, and basic conditions, reports Sputnik Armenia.

Several thousand trucks (including Armenian) remain in Georgian territory, waiting to cross into Russia. Ruptly reports that several hundred of them are located on the Mtskheta-Mtianeti road near the 'Kazbek' checkpoint.

It has been noted that drivers are waiting for days for their turn, with some vehicles stuck on the road for two weeks. They express dissatisfaction about the absence of food, water, and basic amenities.

Some truck drivers see bias from Georgian customs officials, who only allow vehicles with Georgian and Turkish license plates to cross the border. Driver Andrey Novikov stated that trucks with Russian, Belarusian, and Armenian plates have been stuck in line for weeks.

Driver Davit Ohanyan mentioned that the queue is only getting longer. “When I arrived, the queue was 2 kilometers. One kilometer has been the same for the 10th day—I can’t get through,” he said. The driver added that a 5-kilometer queue has formed behind him.

According to Sputnik Armenia, 25% of the vehicles remaining in Georgia are Armenian. Trucks are waiting to approach Larsi on the Tbilisi bypass and towards Khashuri. The main reason for the traffic jams is the number of light passenger vehicles moving in both directions.

In a conversation with a correspondent from Sputnik Armenia, relevant Georgian authorities stated that priority is given to trucks carrying perishable goods, and there is no bias against drivers.

It should be noted that since July 15, Russia has opened 12 new traffic lanes at the 'Upper Lars' checkpoint on the border with Georgia. At that time, the Russian side declared that the new infrastructure and traffic flow separation would allow trucks to reduce waiting times in line.

However, the situation has still not been resolved. According to the Georgian customs service, traffic flow through the country increased by 12% in 2022, 16% towards Turkey, and 20% towards Azerbaijan. Since 2019, transit figures have grown by 80%.

It is worth recalling that a similar issue arose on the 'Upper Lars' road in May of this year. A month later, the situation was resolved. Following this, Armenian and Russian sides reached an agreement to allow Armenian trucks to transit through Lars, with customs formalities carried out at the Vladikavkaz customs checkpoint located 6 kilometers from 'Upper Lars'. It was proposed to use the large parking lot adjacent to the Vladikavkaz customs checkpoint for customs clearance.