The request to sell the railway concession to Armenia is surprising and "exciting," Lavrov said.
28-08-2026 10:09 Armenia Politics
Azatutyun. The request of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to sell the railway concession to Armenia is surprising and "touching," said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, according to RIA Novosti.
He noted that regular communications are taking place between the deputy prime ministers of Russia and Armenia, and that any issues of interest to the Armenian side can be discussed, including the situation related to the South Caucasus railway, which has been handed over to the concession management of "Russian Railways."
"Armenian Railways" has been under the trust management of "Russian Railways" since 2008, and the contract is set to expire in 2038. In recent months, Prime Minister Pashinyan has stated that the Armenian railway is the property of Armenia, and Armenia should have the opportunity to use it as it sees fit.
The Russian side, in turn, has stated that if Armenia terminates the concession agreement, it must return all investments made by the Russian company from 2008 to the present.
The Armenian authorities insist that due to the concession agreement with Russia, Armenia is losing its competitive advantage in joining the regional railway network and becoming a transit country for cargo transportation from east to west, as according to the Prime Minister, Western countries do not want to deal with Russia.
* This text was automatically translated by Artificial Intelligence (AI).
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