ArmInfo. The opening of a second customs zone near the Upper Lars checkpoint will increase the throughput capacity of the checkpoint by 30%. Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan stated this at a briefing on Thursday.
According to him, due to the sharp increase in cargo traffic, the pressure on the checkpoint has increased significantly. Many cargo carriers who were transiting through the territory of Russia are now forced to choose detour routes, the shortest of which is "Upper Lars". The minister noted that on the basis of an agreement reached with the Russian authorities, the Russian government on June 20 decided to open a second customs zone at the checkpoint, which will allow servicing 650-700 vehicles daily instead of the current 400-450. Kerobyan stressed that the issue of prioritizing the release of Armenian trucks with perishable products at the border was also discussed with the Georgian side. <Many business entities suffered significant losses due to problems at the Upper Lars checkpoint. The government of the country, assessing the situation, is trying to take steps to improve it. In the issue of compensation for losses, assistance programs will be developed, but at this stage we are talking about the need to quickly change the situation. Our main task is to eliminate the queues of trucks on the territory of Georgia>, the minister noted.
On June 20, the State Revenue Committee of Armenia issued a message that the Russian government had decided to establish an additional checkpoint for vehicles a few kilometers from the Upper Lars checkpoint. <The State Revenue Committee and the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure inform that, in accordance with the agreement reached by the Republic of Armenia as a result of working negotiations with the Russian Federation, on June 20, the Government of the Russian Federation decided to allocate additional territory 3-4 km from the international automobile "Upper Lars" checkpoint of the North Ossetian Customs of the North Caucasus Customs Administration, where it will also be possible to carry out procedures related to customs control of about 250 vehicles>, the State Revenue Committee said in a statement. It is noted that this adjustment will have a positive impact in terms of increasing throughput the capacity of the border crossing point, reducing congestion of vehicles and properly managing existing queues.
