Nearly 200 Trucks Have Departed Armenia but Have Not Yet Cleared Lars Customs, Customs Attaché Details

Nearly 200 trucks loaded with Armenian goods have left the Armenian border heading to Russia, yet they have not yet cleared customs at the Upper Lars checkpoint. The obstacle is the weather conditions, as explained by Vahan Hakobyan, customs attaché at the Armenian Embassy in Russia, in an interview with Armenpress.

“As of today, we have nearly 200 trucks that have left the borders of Armenia and have not yet been processed in Lars. Some of them have crossed the border and are being processed on the Russian side, while others are either on the Georgian side or are stuck in the blocked section, or have already crossed and are waiting to continue,” Hakobyan stated.

The customs attaché assured that the only obstacle is the weather conditions, as traffic for trucks is restricted in the Kachin mountain pass due to frequent snow and black ice. “At this moment, traffic is still restricted. After the snow removal operations, we are expecting the road to be passable again for trucks,” Hakobyan added.

According to him, there are perishable goods, but currently, their numbers are not significant. In contrast, few trucks are coming from Russia; only several dozen have crossed, with the majority having already passed.

The customs attaché confirmed that they are promptly informed about any issues. “At this moment, there are no issues of concern. Everything is being processed in a normal regime; our loads are being cleared and are crossing the Russian border,” Hakobyan affirmed.

Recently, there has been regular information about the closure of the Stepantsminda-Lars highway for trucks.