Reformist Party leader: Armenia should raise the issue of restarting the Abkhaz section of the railway

ArmInfo. Armenia should raise the issue of reopening the Abkhazian section of the railway, as this represents a serious economic and geopolitical opportunity for the country. Vahan Babayan, leader of the Reformist Party, expressed this idea on his Facebook page.

As the politician recalled, in February 2026, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk confirmed that Russia was considering restoring rail service with Georgia via Abkhazia. "The possible resumption of the Abkhazian railway could change the transport map of the entire region. Negotiations on restoring the Russia-Abkhazia-Georgia railway service should be viewed by Armenia not as just another Russian-Georgian issue, but as a serious economic and geopolitical opportunity," Babayan believes.

In this regard, he explained why this route is beneficial for Armenia. "If this route is resumed, Armenia could gain a shorter and alternative land rail connection with Russia without lengthy detours through third countries. This could mean more affordable freight transportation, new markets for Armenian products, increased tourism, and a new opportunity for Armenia to become a regional transportation hub," the leader of the Reformist Party concluded.

It's worth noting that Armenia's second president, Robert Kocharyan, expressed a similar position in April 2026. As the second president noted, this would lead to a cheaper transportation route that would not depend on Azerbaijan. He also noted that this opens up the possibility of a shorter and safer route to Russia, without any preconditions.

As a reminder, back in 2021, there were rumors that the Abkhaz parliament had submitted a statement to the Russian State Duma declaring that the Republic was ready to participate on equal terms in the project to open a railway connection between Russia and Armenia through Abkhazia. According to research by the British NGO International Alert, the reconstruction of the Abkhaz railway, which has been inactive since 1991, along the Sochi-Sukhumi-Tbilisi-Yerevan route will cost $277.5 million, a cost that will not be recouped for at least 100 years. $251 million is required to restore the 190-kilometer Abkhaz section of the Psou-Inguri line, while from the Inguri to Zugdidi, the cost is only $26.5 million. From Zugdidi to Tbilisi and further to Yerevan, the road is operational and requires no repairs. It's noteworthy that, according to official estimates by Abkhaz experts, this cost is $350-400 million, while their Georgian counterparts estimate it will require no more than $73 million.