49 trucks with Armenian brandy cleared at Gezi checkpoint

PanARMENIAN.Net - Forty-nine trucks loaded with Armenian brandy have left Georgia’s Gezi customs terminal and are heading toward Upper Lars, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan announced on Facebook.

“Following effective negotiations with our Georgian counterparts yesterday, today 49 trucks loaded with brandy departed from Georgia’s Gezi customs terminal toward Upper Lars. These vehicles had been stuck at Gezi for an extended time,” he wrote.

During his June 23 visit to Georgia, Papoyan had stated that an agreement was reached to release 55 brandy trucks that day, followed by another 72 within a week, and an additional 24 trucks to be cleared later.

He also noted that, on the instruction of Armenia’s Prime Minister, he and State Revenue Committee Chairman Eduard Hakobyan had traveled to Tbilisi for meetings with senior officials.

Armenian brandy producers have repeatedly protested outside Georgia’s embassy in Yerevan, objecting to inspections by Georgian authorities. Trucks had been stuck for weeks at border points. Minister Papoyan earlier stated that the issue would be resolved during a June 6 meeting with Georgia’s Agriculture Minister Davit Songhulashvili, but that visit was later canceled.