Upper Lars: nearly 1,000 trucks queue at the Russia-Georgia border, a key route for Armenia
- Published
- Place
- Upper Lars, Russia
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Nearly 1,000 lorries were waiting on 1 November to leave Russia for Georgia through the Upper Lars checkpoint, said Sergei Menyailo, head of Russia’s Republic of North Ossetia. According to him, 509 trucks were registered in the electronic queue and 436 were parked in designated waiting areas. The Georgian Military Road and the Transcaucasian highway remained open to traffic. Upper Lars is the only operating road crossing between Russia and Georgia. It is vital for Armenia, which has no common border with Russia: much of its road trade with its main trading partner passes through this Caucasus pass.
Analysis
Queues at Upper Lars build up regularly as winter approaches, when hauliers rush to cross before closures caused by snow and avalanches. For Armenian exporters of fruit, vegetables or brandy, each day of waiting raises transport costs and threatens fresh produce. With no direct rail link, the lack of an alternative makes this route especially vulnerable.
Possible consequences
Hauliers should expect delays of several days. With temperatures in Armenia forecast to drop by 4 to 7°C and the first mountain snowfalls, the road could be closed temporarily.
What remains uncertain
The figures are those of the North Ossetian authorities at a given moment; the queue changes by the hour. The share of trucks bound for Armenia is not known.
