Zakharova labells Pashinyan`s remarks  as " strange" regarding  Russian concession over Armenian railways

ArmInfo. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has described as   "strange"  the statement by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who claimed that the Russian concession management of Armenian railways creates competitive costs for the Armenian side.

"You know, these are some strange statements. I think they are hardly  acceptable. Russia consistently advocates for the unblocking of all  regional transport and economic communications," Zakharova said  during a weekly briefing on February 18, in response to a request for  comment on the Armenian Prime Minister's remark and his proposal by  Russia to sell the SCR concession to a friendly third party.

 She emphasized that significant efforts  have been made to achieve  this goal within the framework of the trilateral working group  co-chaired by the Vice Prime Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and  Russia. She also recalled that the Armenian railway network has been  managed by the South Caucasus Railway (SCR) for over 20 years.  "Throughout this time, the Russian company has not only consistently  fulfilled all the terms of the concession agreement, but also-perhaps  they've forgotten this in Yerevan-invested significantly (let's  clarify this with the company, but as far as I understand, they  haven't yet recouped their investment) in infrastructure and rolling  stock. It provides a large number of jobs, which, in my opinion,  should also be taken into account by those who wish to speak out on  this issue in Armenia," the official representative of the Russian  Foreign Ministry added.

She emphasized that the Russian operator is a structure that doesn't  deprive the Republic of its competitive advantages, but rather  creates them. "Our position regarding the restoration of two sections  of the railway connecting Armenia to Turkey and Azerbaijan, at  Yerevan's request, was clearly stated by Russian Deputy Prime  Minister Alexei Overchuk on February 12. We will adhere to this  position," Zakharova said.

It should be noted that on February 13, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan told reporters that Russia's concessionary management of  Armenia's railways creates competitive problems for Armenia, and many  international partners want to bypass Armenian territory when  implementing infrastructure projects.  In this vein, he suggested  that Russia consider selling the concession to a third, friendly  country, like Kazakhstan, the UAE, or Qatar.