Georgia tightens oversight of Armenian cargo, Armenia’s tax chief says

By Siranush Adamyan

The recent disruption affecting Armenian freight trucks transiting through Georgia is not, in the authorities’ current understanding, a customs control issue but the result of investigative actions by Georgian law enforcement bodies. Armenia’s State Revenue Committee Chairman Eduard Hakobyan said this in an interview with CivilNet published on Friday.

He explained that the recurring problems have had different causes and have been addressed by separate Georgian agencies, limiting the ability of Armenian customs authorities to resolve them directly.

“This is something that started last year,” he said, describing Georgia’s decision to apply stricter control over cargo passing through its territory.

Speaking about the current disruption, Hakobyan said Georgia’s Finance Ministry is in charge of the investigation. 

Hakobyan said Armenia’s customs authorities continue to address the issue with Georgia at various levels, from senior leadership to department heads. However, he added that cases handled by investigative bodies are harder to address through customs-to-customs channels.

His comments come amid reports that dozens of trucks remain blocked with no clear explanation after crossing into Georgia from Russia.

According to the reporting by Radio Free Europe published last Monday, dozens of Armenian trucks carrying construction materials were stopped after crossing into Georgia from Russia earlier last month.

Drivers told the outlet they were instructed to wait, without detailed justification, and that the uncertainty lasted for days. One driver described around a hundred vehicles loaded with floorboards and laminate that spent nearly two weeks at the border.

A few days later, Armenia’s Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan said Tbilisi had offered only a general explanation, stating that Georgia’s financial police had identified risks related to certain goods and therefore barred dozens of Armenian trucks from continuing to Armenia.

“It’s unclear to us as well,” Papoyan said, adding that the Armenian side had requested clarification but had not yet received further details.

Up to 75% of Armenia’s foreign trade passes through Georgia, by truck and rail, reaching Georgia’s Black Sea ports. The Georgian route is also Armenia’s only land link to Russia, its key market.