Armenian premier once again raises issue of Russia`s need to transfer  concession for management of Armenia`s railways to third party

ArmInfo. The Yeraskh-Akhurik railway already exists and can be commissioned with relatively small investments. This was stated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia on August 24, responding to a question from Artur Khachatryan, a member of  parliament from the opposition Armenia faction.

The MP, in particular, noted that the Kars-Igdir-Diluju railway being  built by Turkey and Azerbaijan is shorter, and asked which investor  would prefer the longer Yeraskh-Akhurik route. In response, the Prime  Minister, touching on the competitiveness of the Yeraskh-Akhurik  railway section and a possible change in management of the railway  concession, noted that the Yeraskh-Akhurik railway already exists and  can be put into operation with relatively small investments. "The  Akhurik-Yeraskh railway exists today, meaning it can be used with  only small investments, and I know who that investor is. That  investor is the Republic of Armenia, which is faced with the task of  making its railway competitive. And Armenia has begun these  investments," he said.

Commenting on the issue of revising the railway concession rights  with the Russian side, the Prime Minister pointed to the poor  investment climate. "We say: give up this poor investment asset, or  give it to us, let's agree on transferring it to a third party. At  least such a procedure is possible. Today, there are companies  willing to pay $400 million. Let's leave it to the market," the head  of the Armenian government said.

Earlier today, while presenting the Cabinet's program for 2026-2031,  Pashinyan addressed the issue of Russia's concessionary management of  the Armenian railway network and the need to transfer this management  to a third country acceptable to both Armenia and Russia. He  emphasized that if Russia were to concessionarily manage the Armenian  railway network, Armenia would lose a historic opportunity to  integrate into the international railway network. The Prime Minister  explained that international investors, freight carriers, and buyers  of goods want to avoid the Yeraskh-Akhurik railway in Armenia, as  this section of the railway is managed by Russian Railways. "The  complex relations between Russia and the West, along with the  sanctions imposed against Russia, are forcing international  investors, shippers, and trade participants to avoid this, to view it  as a risk, and to avoid working with direct or indirect sanctions  restrictions or infrastructure that carries such a risk," Pashinyan  said, adding that Armenia has no connection or influence over the  sanctions imposed against Russia. It is also clear that Armenia has  no problem with its railway being managed by Russian Railways. "This  was not a problem for us, and we have never touched upon this issue.  Moreover, I would like to reiterate that the railway is the property  of Armenia and is merely managed by Russian Railways, and we have no  problem with this fact. We treat the Russian Federation and its  interests with the utmost respect, but due to the fact that Armenian  railways are under Russian management, we are now faced with the  danger of missing this historic opportunity to integrate Armenia into  the international railway network. We cannot afford to miss this  opportunity. This is why we ask our partners in the Russian  Federation to show flexibility and sell the concession rights to a  third country acceptable to both Armenia and Russia. At the same  time, I would like to draw your attention to the fact that, under  these conditions, the construction of the Kars-Nakhichevan railway in  Turkey has intensified. It is clear that we cannot prohibit or hinder  the construction of this railway, and we must recognize the fact that  the Yeraskh-Akhurik railway must compete with "This railway. To  achieve this, we must bring this railway to a competitive position as  quickly as possible and further ensure the high quality of service  and competitive prices offered by the railway," the Prime Minister  stated.