Pashinyan: We are not doing anything behind Russia`s back

ArmInfo.  Armenia has no intention of doing or discussing anything behind Russia's back, at least at this stage, as there are ample opportunities for dialogue.   Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made this statement  during a  press-briefing on April 9, commenting on the possible transfer of the  railway concession to Kazakhstan. "We will continue our  collaboration," he emphasized.

At the same time, the Prime Minister noted that Kazakhstan has not  hidden its interest in  TRIPP (Trump Route for International Peace  and Prosperity) since August. He added that Kazakhstan is one of the  major players in the international transport sector, particularly in  freight flows to and from China. "We have discussed this issue,  including during my visit to Kazakhstan, and our colleagues are  trying to understand what transport opportunities are opening up for  them," the Armenian premier  noted. Specifically, Pashinyan stated  that Kazakhstan is not the only country interested in the project,   there are many others as well.

Recall, on March 26, the Armenian Prime Minister announced that  Yerevan would not object to transferring the country's railway  management concession to a Kazakh company if an agreement could be  reached with Russia. Back in February of this year, Pashinyan began  raising the issue of transferring the Russian concession to a third  party friendly to both countries. He mentioned Kazakhstan, the UAE,  and Qatar as options. He argued that Yerevan was losing its  competitive advantages and that the railway issue should be resolved  with Russia "in a friendly, fraternal manner."

Days earlier, in an interview with TASS, Russian Deputy Prime  Minister Alexei Overchuk stated that there were no objective reasons  for selling the concession of the South Caucasus Railway (SCR, a  subsidiary of Russian Railways) to a third party.

He also emphasized that all of Russia's neighbors, even those in the  EU, are interested in using Russian railways, but only Armenia is  questioning continued cooperation. "As a result of the proposed sale  of the concession, the Armenian railway will not only lose Russian  cargo, but also, most likely, its relationship with Russian  Railways," Overchuk said in an interview with TASS. He clarified that  "given the factors affecting the competitiveness of shipping in the  Caspian Sea, significant cargo flows from Central Asian countries to  Armenia and Turkey and vice versa will pass through the Russian  Federation."

"We simply need to be able to see a little further and predict how  events will develop, especially when it comes to long-term  investments such as port infrastructure and the railway," the Russian  Deputy Prime Minister noted.

At the same time, the Kazakh side recently announced that it is not  negotiating the acquisition of the Russian concession for Armenian  Railways.