Armenian exporters and farmers may go bankrupt amid Larsi road closure, economist warns

Panorama
Armenia –

Economist Suren Parsyan on Monday reacted to the closure of the Stepantsminda-Larsi highway, which connects Armenia and Russia via Georgia, due to damage caused by heavy rains.

“Various reports suggest that the road maintenance work may take 1-2 weeks,” he wrote on Facebook.

"Now is the most active period of agricultural exports, so even a few days of downtime will cause great damage to exporters and farmers.

“Amid the closure of the Upper Lars checkpoint, the devaluation of the dollar and the rise in fuel prices, exporters have already suffered great losses and will simply not sustain another blow; they will go bankrupt, also leading thousands of farms to bankruptcy,” the economist said.

He urged the Armenian government to immediately start talks with other regional countries to use an alternative temporary road.

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS