Car Importers Protest Again: March Towards the National Assembly

Car importers gathered in front of the government building. In an interview with reporters, the vice president of the Drivers' Protection League, lawyer Gevorg Hovhannisyan, stated that the goal is to respond to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's decision, which allows the import of right-hand drive vehicles and their conversion for left-side driving.

“Even if late, the decision was a solution that will result in at least several dozen million dollars remaining in Armenia,” he noted.

Hovhannisyan also referred to the company “BGHM Cargo Handling” which deals with loading and unloading vehicles, mentioning that the company's ongoing operations continue to be problematic as there is no competition for providing cheaper services.

According to Hovhannisyan, another issue is the effectiveness of the customs office in Gyumri, as it requires traveling 300 kilometers just to show the “VIN” code to a State Revenue Committee employee. He stated that operators indicate there is a technical possibility to handle this in Yerevan or any other location, or at the customs office itself.

“The next issue pertains to the process of purchasing and exporting vehicles by citizens of the Republic of Kazakhstan. If we consider this matter from the perspective of equality, each transaction made by Armenian citizens requires a social card. That is to say, if the management system disregards the requirement for social cards for citizens of Kazakhstan, why is it mandatory for citizens of the Republic of Armenia?” he pointed out.

Following this, the league's president, Tigran Hovhannisyan, announced that they are heading to the National Assembly with legislative proposals. They suggest that legislative regulations regarding Kazakh citizens receiving temporary residence rights in Armenia should also require them to present a social card when purchasing a vehicle.

They then moved towards the National Assembly to present their proposals to the deputies.