I Can't Even Believe There Won't Be Traffic Jams: Pashinyan on the Situation at the Upper Lars

Ruslan Davidov, head of the Russian Federation's customs service, stated during a meeting between Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council session that the problem with traffic jams at the "Upper Lars" checkpoint would be resolved within a week after the reconstruction of 4 new lines.

He emphasized that summer has already arrived, and he is somewhat concerned about the throughput capacity of the "Upper Lars" checkpoint. Prime Minister Pashinyan acknowledged that he is aware that the Russian side is conducting large-scale work on the renovations. In this regard, he expressed hope that they will be completed soon.

“Both customs and border services are doing everything possible so that after the renovations we can increase vehicle throughput significantly. Almost 1000 vehicles are exiting in both directions every day; we need at least a capacity of 1500 vehicles to eliminate queues altogether. We expect from the Ministry of Transport that by June 15, 4 more new lines will be allocated for better access at the checkpoint,” Davidov said.

He promised that after the reconstruction, traffic jams would be resolved within a week. Davidov also noted that there would be a total of 39 lanes after the reconstruction, of which 15 would be for freight vehicles.

“To be honest, I can’t even believe there won’t be traffic jams at ‘Upper Lars’ at all. Now we have not only discussed it but also have a commitment, which means it must be done,” the Armenian Prime Minister responded.