There are 300 licensed taxis operating in Artsakh, a country with a population estimated at 140,000.

Yesterday, Artsakh Prime Minister Ara Haroutyunyan met with taxi company owners and independent drivers to discuss what the government has been doing to resolve a number of issues in the sector, most notably its liberalization.

Haroutyunyan called for cooperation between the government and private sector to raise the level of service in the taxi sector.

The main complaint voiced by taxi operators dealt with the large number of unlicensed taxis and high taxes levied by the government.  The prime minister told taxi company representatives that the government uses the taxes they pay to improve the roads in the country; a complaint that many also raised.

Haroutyunyan issued a directive calling for greater monitoring of unlicensed cabs.