Armenia to require video recording of vehicle gas cylinder certification

The Armenian government has ordered that the certification of vehicle gas cylinders be videotaped and stored for six months, aiming to strengthen oversight and prevent fraudulent practices.

Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Armen Simonyan said on Thursday the measure updates a 2021 regulation and introduces stricter monitoring tools. He noted that some operators had previously entered false or incomplete data into the electronic registry, bypassing certification requirements.

Under the new rules, licensed companies conducting periodic inspections must record the process and keep the footage for at least half a year. Regulators will use the recordings to detect irregularities, reduce risks and enforce penalties against noncompliant businesses.

Simonyan pointed to similar video-based oversight introduced in vehicle technical inspections, which led to the suspension of about 20 licenses. He said the government expects comparable improvements in the gas cylinder certification sector, where roughly 130,000 cylinders are checked annually and about 300,000 vehicles nationwide run on gas.