Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Armenia's State Revenue Committee reports that work is in full swing at Bagratashen Customs Checkpoint on the border with Georgia. As the Committee reported in a released statement, alongside normal freight forwarding, passenger traffic has also been resumed. Georgia has opened land borders for foreign citizens after their closure since March 2020 in light of the coronavirus pandemic, the source added.

According to acting head of Bagratashen Customs Checkpoint/Division, the customs checkpoint has started servicing citizens leaving Armenia for Georgia and arriving in Armenia from Georgia since 10:00 am. The checkpoint is ready to duly carry out the customs functions assumed by it under law 24/7 by providing quality and fast service.

It is reminded that foreign citizens arriving in Georgia should fill in an online application before crossing the border. They will be allowed to enter the country provided they show proof of full vaccination (both doses) and at the same time a negative PCR test certificate or a certificate proving negative PCR test taken in the last 72 hours. In this case, however, citizens will have to take another test, this time in Georgia, within 72 hours after entering the country.

About 220 citizens were serviced at Bagratashen checkpoint on June 1. Movement of citizens across the Armenian-Georgian border is carried out also across Bavra checkpoint. The checkpoints are open every day from 10:00 to 20:00.

SRC reminds citizens that the temporary ban on Turkish goods applies to goods of personal use belonging to not only legal persons but also individuals arriving in the Republic of Armenia. “We call on citizens arriving in Armenia to refrain from having Turkish goods of personal use in their baggages, and from importing banned goods in order to avoid future problems,” says Hayk Avetisyan.

Traffic of trucks is increasing day by day. Over 70 thousand trucks crossed the border through the customs checkpoint over the period January-May 2021, and truck capacity has been about 15 thousand cars on average, the source added. 

The Azerbaijani team was disqualified for unsportsmanlike behavior and removed from the European Sambo Championships 2021.

All results of Azerbaijani sambists at the European Sambo Championships 2021 have been canceled, the International SAMBO Federation reported.

The championships were held in Limassol, Cyprus from May 26-29.

Armenian sambist Aram Aghajanyan (64 kg) won bronze in Combat Sambo, the Sambo Federation of Armenia reported.

President of the Armenian SAMBO Federation Mikayel Hayrapetyan spoke about the incident after which the Azerbaijani sambo team was removed from the championships.

“When Magomed Gadzhiev from Russia and Emil Hasanov from Azerbaijan were competing in the 71 kg final and when the victory was awarded to the Russian, the opponent showed unsportsmanlike behavior, which was followed by stormy and noisy entry of the entire Azerbaijani delegation into the mats, prompting clashes. In order for us, Armenians, not to have anything to do with it, I told all our athletes and coaches to leave the sports hall,” he said.  

Armenia’s caretaker Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan will not be among the candidates on the Civil Contract party’s electoral list for the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, Lilit Makunts, the leader of the ruling My Step parliamentary bloc, told reporters on Wednesday.

“It is his personal decision,” Makunts said, without further elaborating.

Earlier it became known that two My Step MPs, Artak Manukyan and Nikolay Baghdasaryan, will also not run for parliament at the June 20 elections.

Makunts assured that they, too, will not be included in the party’s electoral list by their own decision.

She noted there are other ruling bloc MPs who will not be included in the Civil Contract’s list as well.