Cargo shipments from Azerbaijan passing through Armenia will be subject to the same customs oversight as at any other border checkpoint, according to Eduard Hakobyan, Chairman of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC).

Speaking to reporters in the National Assembly, Hakobyan stated that the SRC’s primary function is to organize customs oversight in all circumstances, Sputnik Armenia reported.

“If we’re discussing reopening borders and unblocking transit routes, we simply need to be prepared for various scenarios. We have the necessary equipment and tools to adapt and carry out our customs duties under any condition,” Hakobyan said.

He added that the simplified transit procedures offered by Yerevan to Baku already exist and are in use with Georgia and Iran, countries with which Armenia shares open borders.

Hakobyan further explained that the SRC employs a risk-based system to categorize cargo using indicators that direct goods through green, yellow, or red corridors.

“We have a risk system where certain indicators automatically assign goods to green, yellow, or red lanes. For example, green means the cargo can cross the border without issue because the declaration was filled in advance and the item poses no risk. We’ve also piloted an automatic clearance system where, based on indicators, imports are cleared automatically if no risks are detected,” he said.

According to him, it is impossible for Armenia to be unaware of what cargo is crossing its borders. This same principle, he stressed, will apply to Azerbaijani shipments.

The last meeting of the regional trilateral working group on unblocking transportation links, co-chaired by Armenia’s Mher Grigoryan, Russia’s Alexey Overchuk, and Azerbaijan’s Shahin Mustafayev, was held in Moscow on June 2, 2023.