YEREVAN (Arka)—Georgia is ready to provide Armenia with a free transit corridor for exporting its goods to the Eurasian Economic Union, Armenian deputy economy minister Emil Tarasyan said Wednesday during a public discussion on Armenian exports to the Russia-led trade bloc organized by the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs of Armenia.
According to him, the issue on the transit of Armenian cargo through the territory of Georgia was included in the list of the main documents that Armenia signed with the Eurasian Economic Union, “because Armenia is the only country of the trade bloc that shares no common border with any of the bloc’s members.”
“Today we are working to secure an uninterrupted shipment of Armenian goods to the Eurasian Economic Union’s markets,” said Tarasyan, adding that Armenian goods will be exempted from customs checks at the border.
Armenia formally joined the Eurasian Economic Union on October 10. The agreement was signed by the heads of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Armenia in Minsk, Belarus. The agreement on establishment of the Eurasian Economic Union comes into force in 2015.
Russia may open a “green corridor” for Armenian trucks at Upper Lars border crossing on its frontier with Georgia, Gagik Kocharyan, a senior official of the Armenian economy ministry, said.
The Upper Lars is the only overland conduit to the outside world for Armenian businesses. It is of utmost importance for Armenia, which is subjected to transportation blockade by Azerbaijan and Turkey.
According to Kocharyan, Armenian diplomats in Russia are discussing now the green corridor “issue with the Russian side.
In turn, the chairman of the Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, Arsen Ghazaryan, said Armenian business people are facing problems now when going through the Upper Lars crossing because of the large number of trucks.
“Since Turkey did not join the Western sanctions against Russia, it has significantly increased its exports to the Russian Federation, carried out mainly by trucks. As a result, Armenian trucks have to stand in long lines at the checkpoint,” said Ghazaryan.
God bless Mother Russia.
Russia better do it or else we will slowly turn westward
Thank you, Moscow. This is a result of a long term Russian plan first put into effect in the summer of 2008. It was only a matter of time before the government in Georgia would be brought to its senses… because the only other alternative for Tbilisi would have been to see Georgia divided up between Russia and Armenia.
Georgia is not doing a favor to Armenia…they will ship their own goods on behalf of Armenians Javakhk population!
Let’s remember one thing before calling this ‘good news’. Georgia MIGHT do this, not because they are feeling neighborly or benevolent, but because they don’t want another Russian invasion, which may be a lot worse this time around. If not for that, Georgia would gladly join Turkey and Azerbaijan against Armenia any day.