Following controversy over the Armenian lorries facing issues entering Russia via Georgia, Russian authorities said only 21 lorries were turned back between 22–24 August for not meeting phytosanitary standards. However, Armenia’s Food Safety Inspection has said some were denied entry for tax evasion.
Opposition MP Garnik Danielyan published a video on Saturday showing a long queue of lorries on the side of a road believed to be near the Upper Lars checkpoint between Georgia and Russia.
Danielyan claimed that ‘hundreds of lorries’ loaded with fruits were returning to Armenia after being denied entry to Russia and he added that lorries transporting construction materials also faced issues crossing the border, calling it ‘unprecedented’.
In turn, Armenia’s Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan pushed back against Danielyan’s claims, and said that only four lorries carrying fruits and vegetables were denied entry to Russia in August.
‘P.S. Dear Garnik, telling lies is not a good thing’, Papoyan wrote.
Yousef Bardouka
On Monday, the Russian Federal Service for Veterinary and Phytosanitary Supervision, told the Russian state-controlled media outlet RBC that 21 out of 146 lorries exporting ‘quarantine products’ from Armenia to Russia, were sent back from the border between 22–24 August.
The Russian agency cited ‘non-compliance with Russian phytosanitary requirements’ as the reason for the refusal.
In turn, Armenia’s Food Safety Inspection Body told RFE/RL that some lorries were denied entry to Russia due to ‘violating import regulations’.
They claimed that some businesses sold Armenian exports to fake companies opened in Russia, but were later shut down by their owners, in a bid to evade taxes.
Meanwhile, Armenian lorry drivers confirmed to RFE/RL the existence of long queues at the Upper Lars checkpoint both from the Russian and Georgian sides of the border, with one driver noting that if it previously took up to three days to get to Georgia from Russia, now it takes over ten.
Both the unnamed driver and Danielyan assumed that the delays and the denials from Georgia and Russia had an underlying political reason.
Armenian lorries have for years faced difficulties crossing into Russia amidst spikes of tensions between Yerevan and Moscow. Most recently, Georgia had for over a month reportedly blocked the access of Armenian lorries packed with brandy in transit to Russia, but the authorities in Armenia say the issue has been resolved.
