Minister explains the failure to start train-ferry service on time

YEREVAN, June 23. /ARKA/. Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan explained today the failure to start using the train-ferry service between Georgian and Russian Black Sea ports from June 15 (for transportation of goods to and from Armenia), as he had promised earlier, by the absence of the permission of a Dutch company that operates the Port of Poti in Georgia.

'Many European companies have imposed sanctions on Russia, and the APM Company that operates the Poti port, has also imposed sanctions. Now we are negotiating to ensure that these sanctions do not apply to ferries transporting goods to and from Armenia," the minister said.

According to Kerobyan, everything is ready and it's just a matter of obtaining the permission from APM. He said that his Georgian counterparts assured him that they were waiting for it any minute.

On March 24, the Armenian government approved a decision on subsidizing the transportation of goods to and from Armenia between the port of Poti (Georgia) and port Kavkaz (Russia).

On May 5, the Armenian government declared the C&M International LLC the operator of the train-ferry service for transportation of goods to and from Armenia.

The Poti –Port Kavkaz train-ferry link between Georgia and Russia is viewed as an alternative to the Russian-Georgian border crossing at Upper Lars which processes the bulk of Armenia’s cargo traffic with Russia.

The border crossing is frequently closed due to blizzards and landslides in winter and spring, causing Armenian companies serious losses as hundreds of Armenian trucks strand there for weeks. -0-