ArmInfo. Armenia should follow the example of Kazakhstan and establish its terminals on the Black Sea ports of Georgia. This was announced by the Chairman of the RA National Assembly Committee on Regional and Eurasian Integration Mikael Melkumyan at a press conference in Yerevan on December 18.
According to him, in addition to attracting ferries, the republic should think about the availability of its own terminals in Poti and in Batumi. He stressed that Kerch has ferries that can be purchased at an inexpensive price. Their use, as well as rental of terminals, would mitigate the consequences of the blockade.
To recall, on November 13, the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia, Suren Papikyan, reported that the Armenian government intends to attract 2 ferries in order to activate the Poti - Novorossiysk ferry. He emphasized that he had recently discussed this issue with his Russian colleagues in Moscow. The Minister said that in Crimea there are unused ferries that could be attracted to service the ferry crossing, and discussions are currently underway on the most suitable option.
Earlier, ArmInfo reported that from November 22, 2018, Russian Railways and the Federal Tariff Service of the Russian Federation approved discounts for the transportation of goods along the Port Caucasus - Poti route for 2019 in the amount of up to 50%. Ferry cargo transportation on the route Port Caucasus - Poti became regular in February 2017 due to a significant increase in cargo traffic. However, recently the leadership of the ferry has again changed the schedule operating only when there is the need. This circumstance caused natural discontent on the part of the business community of Armenia, and due to ignorance of the circumstances of the case, direct accusations are often made to the SCR, although the ferry belongs to completely different legal entities and has no strict obligations either to the railway carrier or to the Republic of Armenia. The issue of involving a ferry that would serve the strategic interests of Armenia, regardless of market conditions, has been considered for over 10 years, but has not yet been resolved.