ARMENIA JOINING NORTH-SOUTH TRANSPORT CORRIDOR NOT ALTERNATIVE FOR CARGO TRANSPORTATION VIA GEORGIA

The Armenia-Russia cargo transportation via the North-South International Transport Corridor (ITC) may prove problematic, chairman of the Association of Armenian Transporters and Expediters Gagik Aghajanian told Arminfo news agency. According to him, participant in the corridor Iran bans the transportation of alcohol and meat via its territory while these products are the core of the Armenian-Russian cargo turnover. Besides, the Kajaran serpentine, the trailers will have to surmount in this case, becomes almost impassible in winter. Pointing to a number of technical complications, G. Aghajanian noted that the transportation via this route will not only take more time but will also be more expensive. To remind, Russian Minister of transport Igor Levitin, who is on formal call in Armenia at present, suggested that the Armenian transporters used the North-South transport corridor as an alternative for the temporarily closed Verkhny Lars checkpoint at the Georgian-Russian border as the day before the RF government approved Armenia’s joining to the treaty on the North-South ITC.