Tigran Balayan: “Armenian side will welcome operation of the Upper Lars”

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS: “Armenia reiterates its approach. The Armenian side, of course, will welcome if Russia and Georgia come to agreement connected with the re-operation of the Upper Lars,” spokesman for the Armenian foreign minister Tigran Balayan told Armenpress. Yesterday Georgian deputy foreign minister Nino Kalandadze stated that the border check-point is planned to be opened in the coming March. He said that the decision was made at the negotiations conducted by Russian and Georgian experts with the support and mediation of Switzerland. “By now an oral agreement has been achieved but during the coming two weeks the experts will conduct another meeting and the agreement will be finalized,” the Georgian deputy minister said. Kalandadze stated that as a result of the opening of the Upper Lars border check-point cargo transportation will be carried out not only from Russia to Armenia and vice versa, but the Georgian companies too will have an opportunity to transport local products to Russia. “We positively assess the current negotiations and the achieved arrangements and are waiting their official definition,” the Georgian deputy foreign minister said. According to different sources, Armenia is a mediator on the Georgian-Russian relations, particularly in the negotiations on the opening of the Upper Lars border check-point. Recently such a statement was made by the Armenian parliamentarian, press secretary of the Armenian Republican Party Eduard Sharmazanov, noting that it may be witnessed by a number of statements of both Russian and Georgian officials. There are also opinions that as a result of recent changes in the region, the Upper Lars border check-point may lose its political importance. Director of the “Center of Studies of Western Armenian Issues” Haykazun Alvrtsyan said that its importance will become less after the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border and construction of Iran-Armenia railway as by this Armenia will have new ways out. According to him, this is a reason why Georgia and Russia started negotiations connected with the opening of the Upper Lars border check point, while till now, as a result of its closure not only Armenia and Georgia but Russia too have been bearing losses. “The opening of the Upper Lars check-point is not only issue of Georgia and Russia. The possible opening of the Armenian-Turkish border shows that the West and Europe need open borders in the whole region. From this we may conclude that soon initiatives will be voiced over the opening of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” he said. H. Alvrtsyan said that after the opening of the check-point it will operate in completely other terms: the regional changes will promote that Georgia changes its dictating position toward Armenia. Georgia, avoiding from the possible isolation and losing its importance, undertakes all the possible measures to restore relations with Russia. “The Georgian side realizes that one day the expensive roads we have with Georgia may soon be replaced by cheaper and convenient routes,” Alvrtsyan said.