Russian authorities allegedly barred numerous trucks from entering their country, a statement that the Armenian government has disputed, asserting that the trucks in question were not bound for Russia.

In the past few days, a dispute has arisen between Armenian authorities and Russian border officials over the denial of entry of Armenian lorries carrying fresh fruits, vegetables, and flowers at Georgia's Upper Lars border checkpoint.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan claimed that several hundred trucks loaded with fruits were denied entry to Russia, a statement that has since been echoed by opposition MP Garnik Danielyan. However, Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan, in a Facebook post on Sunday, countered this claim, stating that only four lorries were denied entry in August, and 762 lorries loaded with fruits and vegetables entered Russia during the same period.

Danielyan's claims were further supported by a video he published, showing a long queue of lorries near the Upper Lars checkpoint between Georgia and Russia. He also suggested that farmers are suffering enormous losses due to the denial of entry of lorries to Russia.

Papoyan, in his post, did not provide any justification for the denial of entry of the four lorries. He also did not mention any issues with lorries transporting construction materials crossing the border, contrary to Danielyan's statement that such lorries have faced issues as well.

Lorry drivers were subjected to thorough inspections by Russian border authorities, according to Danielyan's claims. He also stated that there were talks of phytosanitary measures being the reason for the denial of entry, a claim that was not addressed in Papoyan's Facebook posts.

The problem of Armenian lorries crossing the border into Russia appears to have a political subtext, according to Danielyan. He criticized the Armenian authorities for their response to the issue.

This is not the first time Armenian lorries have faced difficulties crossing into Russia. For years, spikes of tensions between Yerevan and Moscow have led to border disputes, affecting the flow of goods between the two countries.

In a separate post published hours later, Papoyan stated that 2,427 lorries loaded with Armenian exports entered Russia at an average of 101 lorries per day. He also promised to provide evidence disproving Danielyan's claims.

As the situation continues to unfold, both parties are urging for a swift resolution to the issue, with the potential to impact not only the economy but also the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Russia.