Opposition Figure: Pashinyan set a goal of neutralizing Russian influence in Armenia and replacing It with another influence

ArmInfo.  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has set the goal of neutralizing Russian influence in the country and replacing it with another. Armenia’s National Assembly opposition “Armenia” faction MP and representative of the Supreme Body of the ARF “Dashnaktsutyun” (ARFD) Ishkhan Saghatelyan stated this on September 22 during parliamentary briefings.

According to him, the issue is not limited to transferring the concession for Armenia’s railways to another country. “Pashinyan has set himself the goal of neutralizing Russian influence in Armenia and replacing it with other forces. The issue concerns not only the railway, but also the 102nd Russian base. Through the policy they are pursuing, the Armenian authorities are dragging the country into a new adventure that will lead to serious economic and security problems. What is happening should be viewed precisely in this context,” Saghatelyan stated.

The MP said that the talk of possibly transferring the railway concession to Kazakhstan was not accidental. “And it is obvious that everything will be done to ensure that management is transferred, which will have consequences of its own,” the MP concluded.

Let us recall that on February 13, 2026, in a conversation with journalists, Pashinyan suggested that the Russian side consider selling the right to the concession for the republic’s railways to one of the states friendly to both Moscow and Yerevan. Among the options, he named Kazakhstan, the UAE and Qatar. On August 24, while presenting the government’s program for 2026–2031, Pashinyan again addressed the issue of Russia’s concession management of Armenia’s railway network and the need to transfer this management to a third country acceptable to both Armenia and Russia. He emphasized that under Russia’s concession management of Armenia’s railway network, Armenia could lose the historic opportunity to integrate into the international railway network. The prime minister explained that international investors, freight carriers, sellers and buyers of goods want to avoid the Yeraskh–Akhurik railway in Armenia, since this section of the railway is under the management of Russian Railways.

We should add that on September 3, during a briefing, Pashinyan stated that the Armenian authorities had never raised the issue of withdrawing the 102nd Russian military base from the country, but if Russia decided to take this step, Yerevan would not object. He assured that the Armenian authorities did not see the base as an essential necessity. He made this statement in response to a request to comment on Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks about being ready to withdraw the 102nd base from Armenia “as early as tomorrow.”