The unprecedented ban, which could have serious implications for Armenia’s foreign trade, came more than two months after Georgian authorities introduced physical checks on brandy exported to Russia by some Armenian companies. The Armenian government says that it has still not received a clear explanation for the measure from Tbilisi. Georgian officials have commented vaguely on the issue.
The affected companies say the checks take many weeks, causing them to miss their delivery deadlines and incur losses. Dozens of their trucks remain stuck at Georgian customs terminals despite Armenian government intervention.
In a series of videos posted on YouTube, one of their drivers has said they are running out of cash and still do not know when they will be allowed to proceed to Georgia. The angry man has slammed the Armenian government for its failure to remove the transit hurdles.
“If you can't find a decent solution to the problem, leave [power] and let people who can solve this problem take over,” he said in his latest post.
Meanwhile, the Armenian customs service announced late on Tuesday that all other Armenian trucks will not be allowed to cross into Georgia until the end of the truck “congestion” there. In a statement, it expressed hope for an “quick resolution” of the situation. It was not clear whether Tbilisi has also imposed physical checks on other Armenian exports.
Georgia is Armenia’s main commercial conduit to the outside world and Russia in particular. For its part, Russia is Armenia’s leading trading partner and export market.
Armenia’s Economy Ministry raised more questions about Tbilisi’s motives earlier on Tuesday when it told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the Georgian side has conducted no “formal inspections” of the quality of Armenian brandy since setting its controversial transit requirements in late April.
Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said a month ago that he may visit to Tbilisi for urgent talks with Georgian officials. No such trip has taken place so far.
Georgian Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture David Songulashvili was scheduled to arrive in Yerevan for the same reason on June 6. But he cancelled the visit at the last minute.