Armenian Trucks Crossing Upper Lars at Normal Speed for Winter, Says Kerobyan

Armenian trucks are crossing the Upper Lars border crossing at a normal speed for winter, stated the Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan during a press briefing following a cabinet meeting.

The road leading to the Upper Lars checkpoint is frequently closed due to snow and blizzards. Since December 13, traffic for articulated and semi-articulated vehicles has been restored on the Gudauri-Kobi section of the international Mtskheta-Stepantsminda-Lars road.

Addressing the volumes of exports, he noted that the Armenian government is taking steps to assist exporters in sending goods to third countries. "Our programs include plans to increase our efforts to diversify exports to various other directions in 2024," said the minister.

In response to a question regarding the fact that exports from Armenia are primarily directed towards Russia, and that more attention should be focused on this direction, Kerobyan stated that Armenian authorities do not wish to improve relations with other countries at the expense of one particular country.

"We simply know that there is considerable potential in many other directions, apart from the existing well-functioning routes. We need to work hard in that direction, as new markets are not as well known in terms of consumer behavior and preferences. It often requires producing new products for that new market, and that is an incomparably more serious endeavor than what is being done now," he emphasized.

According to him, the most attractive directions for Armenia today are the countries of East Asia—India, China, Japan—as well as the Middle East, Arab countries, Europe, and the United States. Additionally, the minister recalled that Armenia will participate in the "Osaka 2025" expo with a significant pavilion, and the government's goal is to make Armenian products known to the Japanese by then.