ARMENIA WELCOMES REOPENING OF KEY BORDER CROSSING ON RUSSIAN-GEORGIA BORDER

ARKA
March 2, 2010

YEREVAN, March 2, /ARKA/. Armenia welcomed Monday the reopening of
a key border crossing on Russian-Georgia border that had been used
by Armenian businessmen as the only overland conduits to the outside
world. The Upper Lars border crossing was closed by Moscow in June
2006 for repair.

The crossing is effectively the only land crossing between Russia and
Georgia, the others running through Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The
move hit hard Armenian exporters of agricultural produce and other
goods.

Speaking at a news conference Monday, Arsen Ghazarian, chairman of
the Union of Armenian Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, said the
open border check point will cut transportation expenses by 20-25%
or $1,000-$1,500 for taking a truck of goods in both directions.

After the crossing was shut down in 2006 Armenian exporters and
importers had to use ferryboat routes across the Black Sea. The
ferryboat makes one trip a week between Georgian port of Poti and a
Russian port on the Black Sea.