Economy minister says work on launching train-ferry service for Armenian exporters continues

YEREVAN, February 3. /ARKA/. In an interview with Armenpress news agency, Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said the ministry was working to have the train-ferry service between Russian and Georgian seaports launched as soon as possible

"Negotiations are underway. I do not want to designate another deadline, I will just say that the next news about the service will be about the working one," he said.

Kerobyan stressed that the number of Armenian trucks that pass through the Upper Lars checkpoint (on Georgian-Russian border) on a daily basis is unprecedented. ‘This shows that a high rate of economic activity has been maintained in the first months of this year,’ he said.

"Exporters are not waiting for the opening of the ferry service. They are exporting their goods by the traditional route through Upper Lars, which now works smoothly. Our trucks get to Russia in a day," he said.

The train-ferry service was originally supposed to start on June 15, 2022 for transportation of goods to and from Armenia to Russia and beyond, but was delayed due to absence of the permission of a Dutch company that operates the Port of Poti in Georgia.

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 would strand there for weeks. -0-