Armenian Trucks, Numbering in Thousands, Still Unable to Cross the Lars Checkpoint

The newspaper "Gaghak@" reports: "Armenian trucks, numbering in the thousands, are still unable to cross the Lars checkpoint. The convoy of trucks extends to the outskirts of Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. Drivers stuck in the queue report that they are primarily transporting food, fruits, and vegetables to the Russian Federation, which are increasingly spoiled and become unfit for consumption over time. Consequently, they incur significant financial losses.

Moreover, there are basic living and hygiene issues for those who have been in line for over two weeks.

ArmLur.am inquired with the press secretary of the Speaker of the National Assembly, Tsovinar Khachatryan, whether this topic was discussed during the official visit of the delegation led by Speaker Alen Simonyan to Georgia. We asked Khachatryan whether Simonyan touched upon the issue of the queue of trucks in Lars with Georgian officials, and if there was any positive feedback.

In response, she referred to the official statements published after Alen Simonyan's meetings with Georgian officials, stating, "Please consider the information in those statements as a starting point." However, the 'starting point' indicates that there is no mention of the current situation at Lars in any of the official communications.

During a briefing with journalists after the meeting with the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Simonyan stated that they also discussed transport-related issues in general. Most likely, the conversation or negotiations did not have the desired result or outcome.

Let us recall that accompanying the Speaker of the National Assembly to Tbilisi were the Chair of the Standing Committee on Education, Sisak Gabrielyan, and deputies Hakob Aslanyan, Sargis Khandanian, Hasmik Hakobyan, Lena Nazaryan, along with her husband Narek Babayan. Yet, these deputies have done nothing to address the issue of the kilometers-long queues at Lars—only a half-hearted mention from the Speaker, and that’s it."