ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
January 4, 2005 Tuesday 10:31 AM Eastern Time

Icy road stops 7 Armenian buses near Georgian checkpoint

By Eka Mekhuzla

TBILISI

Seven buses of Armenian transport companies en route from Moscow and
other Russian cities to Yerevan are standing near the Dariali
checkpoint of Georgia on the Voyenno-Gruzinskaya Road. The Georgian
Road Department had banned the traffic of trucks and passenger buses
on the road near the village of Kobi in the Kazbegi district because
of ice.

“Armenia was warned in summer that the Kazbegi-Kobi sector of the
Voyenno-Gruzinskaya Road will be closed from late November till March
for trucks and buses because of heavy snowfalls, ice and avalanche
hazard, which are typical of the Kazbegi district in that season,”
head of the Georgian Road Department Roman Dalakishvili said on
Tuesday. Georgian transport companies stopped shuttle trips of
passenger buses from Tbilisi to Moscow and other Russian cities 1.5
months ago for that reason.

The overwhelming majority of passengers of seven buses stopped near
the Dariali checkpoint have continued their voyage by car and taxi.