Afət Ziyadqızı
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the concession agreement with the Russian side on managing the country’s railway network at a news conference after a government meeting. He said official Yerevan had no fundamental problem with the management of South Caucasus Railway (SCR), a subsidiary of Russian Railways.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that, according to Pashinyan, Russian Railways CEO Oleg Belozerov visited Yerevan at his invitation to discuss infrastructure problems and prospects. During the visit, the sides agreed to establish a joint working group to assess railway operations and management efficiency.
The prime minister said options for changing the format of concession management could be discussed to improve the competitiveness of Armenia’s railways, including involving third countries or investors. He said Yerevan was ready to consider alternative constructive proposals from the Russian side.
Pashinyan said the working group would prepare a package of proposals within three months on how to increase the infrastructure’s competitiveness. He also noted that the sides continued to disagree over the impact of international sanctions on railway operations: Russia considers sanctions no obstacle, while Armenia views them as an external risk.
Discussions also covered restoring the Ijevan–Razdan railway section, building a facility at Akhuryan (Duzkend) station to change wagon wheelsets, and integrating the Ijevan–Razdan line into the Vanadzor–Gyumri corridor. Pashinyan said these projects would require substantial investment.
The head of the Armenian government recalled that in April this year he had said urgent investment was needed to preserve the competitiveness of Armenia’s railway amid accelerated construction in Turkey of the strategic Kars–Dilucu (Nakhchivan) railway line. Pashinyan said Russian partners had then considered such investment economically unfeasible and that Moscow had also rejected Yerevan’s proposal to invite other investors.
Pashinyan concluded that competition could become a secondary issue if regional communications open and freight volumes rise sharply, but said that under current conditions it was essential to find concrete ways to modernize the infrastructure.
