President Serzh Sargsyan attended the construction launch ceremony of a new Bagratashen checkpoint on the border with Georgia.

The State Revenue Committee chair Gagik Khachatryan, Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan attended the event, among other officials.

The construction will be performed in the framework of UNDP-funded program on modernization of Bagratashen, Bavra, and Gogavan checkpoints on the border of Armenia.

The total value of the program is set at Euro 50 million.

European Bank for Reconstruction and Development extended the government received a loan of Euro 30 million 316 thousand to upgrade infrastructure of the checkpoints as well as Euro 10 million 293 thousand for construction of a bridge linking Armenia with Georgia in Bagratashen.

Also, a Euro 12 million grant was provided by the European Commission’s Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument Fund, with a Euro3 million grant extended under a program financed by the EU Eastern Partnership Program.

The upgraded border crossings will provide increased processing capacity, enabling multi-directional road crossing for international cargo and passenger traffic.

When finalized, border crossing modernization will allow crossing the border in 3-5 minutes, taking passenger cars 7 minutes, and cargo-loaded trucks up to 20 minutes.

Located 200 km from Yerevan, Bagratashen is the main land transport corridor connecting Armenia, through Georgia, with the rest of the world.