ArmInfo. situation in which the national security of an entire country depends on a thin strip of asphalt is shameful for us. Gagik Aghajanyan, executive director of the large forwarding company "Apaven", expressed this opinion to ArmInfo, commenting on the current situation on the Azerbaijani- controlled section of the Goris-Kapan highway.
Since September 12, Azerbaijani police stationed near the village of Vorotan in the Syunik region of Armenia have been stopping and checking Iranian trucks, demanding tolls from drivers. On September 15, they detained two Iranian drivers, accusing them of delivering goods to Artsakh. These actions of Azerbaijan have already created a serious problem for the trade between Iran and Armenia, since many truck drivers are simply not able to pay Azerbaijani levies.
"For 30 years, we have not been able to build a normal road connecting the north with the south of the country. Meanwhile, if only $ 20 million were allocated annually from the state budget for this purpose, the road would have been ready. What is happening today on this section of the road is just a part of the general large-scale problem that we have been repeating for at least the last 10 years. The North-South highway construction project should have started from Syunik, not from Ararat and Aragatsotn. However, the proper conclusions, unfortunately, have not been drawn even today, "he said.
Assessing positively the very idea of building a road linking Armenia with Iran and Georgia within the framework of the North-South project, Aghajanyan believes that all roads under construction in Armenia should be carried out exclusively in the depths of the country, as far as possible from the borders. "In the end, we must start building our own roads on our own in our own interests. Especially when today on the Vorotan section we clearly see what happens when others are building them," he said.
According to the expert, Armenia did not come to the proper conclusions after the transport collapse that gripped the country as a result of the conflict between Russia and Georgia in 2008. And the situation continues to evolve by inertia today. Meanwhile, it was 2008 that should have become a good lesson for Armenia, prompting the country's leadership to take appropriate actions in the direction of creating alternative communications. "The situation will change when we realize the need to build roads and railways in accordance with our own interests, when we realize that there is no alternative for Armenia to become an independent, sovereign state. It is never too late to rectify the situation. And it is necessary to start with the development of a national transport strategy. Through which it is necessary to first determine the priority areas of road construction in accordance with the interests of national security. And immediately start implementing it. Otherwise, similar situations on the Goris- Kapan section of the road will always haunt us, "Aghajanyan predicts.