Armenian passenger vehicles hit with massive fines in Georgia

Since the morning of October 18, the Department of Transport of Georgia has been imposing fines on nearly all passenger vehicles travelling from Armenia to Tbilisi, according to Armenian media reports cited by Caliber.Az.

Artem Asriyan, a representative of companies operating on the Yerevan–Tbilisi route, told reporters that the fines amount to 5,000 Georgian Lari (approximately $1,800) per vehicle. He added that almost all vehicles are being fined, regardless of the legal basis on which they operate.

Asriyan described the situation as unprecedented in scale and warned of severe consequences if no prompt response is received from Armenian authorities. “In 15–20 days, all companies providing passenger transportation on the Yerevan–Tbilisi route could face an extremely difficult situation. This could result in the collapse of the main route connecting Armenia with the outside world,” he said.

He further speculated on the possible motivations behind the fines, suggesting that either hostile states are acting under the influence of Armenia’s ongoing final blockade, or the measures are being taken to pave the way for a major market player.

Asriyan stated that his company will contest all fines in accordance with Georgian legislation and urged other transport companies to take joint action in appealing the imposed penalties.

By Tamilla Hasanova