ArmInfo. Both Yerevan and Moscow are committed to the development of the SCR (South Caucasus Railway) activity in Armenia. Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin said on September 18, in an interview with journalists on the sidelines of the opening of the "Russian Center" in the branch of the Central Library named after Avetik Isahakyan.
"I am very glad that all the issues have been clarified. The parties came to the conclusion that the situation is normal, that the SCR works, and it is very important that both sides are committed to the development of the SCR activities here, investments continue and that this work is effective. I am very glad that all the issues have been closed, "the Ambassador said.
To note, the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation reported on September 2 that the transport departments of Russia and Armenia had settled the disagreements related to the South Caucasus Railway.
Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation - Head of the Federal Agency for Railway Transport Vladimir Tokarev and Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures of Armenia Armen Simonyan signed a protocol that removed all disagreements regarding the financial and economic activities of a subsidiary of Russian Railways - South Caucasian Railway CJSC > (SCR).
In particular, the document contains the agreement of the relevant ministries of Russia and Armenia with the results of independent audits of the SCR activities carried out over the entire period of the concession agreement concluded in 2008. The SCR also confirmed the full fulfillment of its investment obligations and, as a result, the absence of claims from the parties. "The signing of the protocol plays an important role in solving a number of tasks facing the SCR. We are talking about both increasing the volume of transportation of goods and passengers and updating the railway rolling stock. The parties stressed the significance of the signed document and noted that it will contribute to the further development of economic cooperation between our countries ", the message of the Ministry of Transport of the Russian Federation reads.
It should be noted that in 2018, the South Caucasian Railway CJSC underwent strict checks by the tax authorities of Armenia regarding the fulfillment of obligations assumed under the contract.
The South Caucasian Railway CJSC is a 100% subsidiary of the Russian Railways OJSC and carries out concession management of the Armenian railways. The railway infrastructure of Armenia was transferred to the concession management of the "South Caucasus Railways" CJSC in accordance with the Concession Agreement signed on February 13, 2008. The term of the concession management is 30 years with the right to renew for another 10 years.