250 Armenian Trucks on the Road to Russia, No Traffic Congestion

As of the morning of October 5, there are around 250 Armenian trucks on the roads from Armenia to Russia, and there are no queues or congestion at the Upper Lars checkpoint. Some of these trucks are completing customs procedures, according to Vahan Hakobyan, the customs attaché at the Armenian Embassy in Russia, in a conversation with Armenpress.

“At this moment, there are no queues or congestion on the route entering Russia. The Lars checkpoint is operating in a normal regime. As of this morning, about 250 Armenian trucks are on the roads to the Russian Federation, meaning some are on their way, some have arrived and are being processed, and a few may have completed their customs documentation and have left,” Hakobyan stated.

He noted that the previous day, 140 Armenian trucks, 35 of which were loaded with Armenian brandy, had entered Russia after completing all customs procedures. Additionally, 207 trucks were headed to Armenia.

The customs attaché informed that a new regulation imposed by the Russian side concerning brandy was removed late on October 4. The Russian customs service had begun implementing customs controls on brandy exported from Armenia, meaning all brandy shipments were subject to customs oversight, sometimes requiring products to be sent for examination. This obstacle has now been lifted.

“Up to this point, around 50 trucks loaded with brandy have been processed and have entered Russian territory. Another 47 trucks are standing at the Lars checkpoint waiting for the examination conclusion to move to Russia,” Hakobyan said.

The Russian side has promised to provide these responses quickly, and within a maximum of one week, these 47 trucks should also proceed.

Therefore, from now on, Armenian brandy will not primarily be sent for examination from the Upper Lars checkpoint, only in rare cases when there are serious suspicions and grounds for such actions. Based on necessity, there will be regular inspections for all trucks.

Regarding the direction of trucks exiting Russia, there are queues at the Upper Lars. However, according to Hakobyan, these relate mainly to trucks carrying goods to third countries.

“Since October 1, a relevant decision from the Russian government has come into force, establishing various customs duties for goods exported to third countries. Many entrepreneurs exporting goods from Russia to third countries were unprepared to reach the Lars checkpoint and need to make payments and complete documentation. This has slowed the customs processing process. However, amid the general queues, Armenian trucks do not wait long and are served out of turn,” the customs attaché added.