ArmInfo. At the first stage, the implementation of the Dry Port project will require investments in the amount of $45 million, of which $7.9 million from the government, $37.1 million from the operating company, Charle Malas, Advisor to Armenia's Minister of Economy told Armenia's Public TV.
He said that a number of international reputable companies, as well as a number of banks, including the World Bank, are interested in the project. The operator of the "Dry Port" should be, according to the expert, an experienced international company, whose partner will be the Armenian government. "And this provides that the state will receive income from the project. However, this is not the advantage of the project. It is important that Armenia will become a transit, transport, export, production hub," Malas noted.
The volume of FDI in the next 5 years in the Dry Port project will be about $300-400 million, and several thousand jobs will be created at different stages of the project - during construction and directly during launch. According to preliminary calculations, the project will provide 1% GDP growth.
As noted within the project, the route will start from the railway in India, then move towards the Iranian port of Chabahar, and passing through the entire territory of Iran will reach the "Dry Port" in Armenia, after which it will proceed to the Georgian port of "Poti". The project will become more efficient with the operation of the Tranche 4 road section of the North-South transport corridor, thanks to which travel time for trucks in Syunik will be reduced by 40%.
"We expect that with the launch of the project the volume of cargo transportation will increase. In particular, in 2046, according to our estimates, 38 thousand containers will pass through the Dry Port, and about 1 million tons of cargo will pass through the road alone," Malas said.
According to preliminary estimates, the Dry Port project can be launched within 5-7 years.
On January 16, the Investment Committee of Armenia approved the investment project for the construction of the Dry Port industrial park in Gyumri. The park is planned to be built on the territory adjacent to Shirak airport, which will border both the airport and the railway and the North-South highway.
The Dry Port is envisaged as a multifunctional and multimodal hub to serve those local and international companies that require an operational procedure to consolidate customs processes, which can help reduce the latter's operating costs.
The project was first announced by Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan in the spring of 2021.
