Pashinyan: Armenia can cancel the agreement with Russia on railways, but does not want

The Armenian government may cancel the agreement with Russia on concession management of Armenian railways. This was stated by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with Infocom TV channel.

The government has the tools, moreover, the justification for canceling the concession agreement (with Russia). When the time comes, we will talk about it, Pashinyan said (quoted by Interfax). If today we take a political decision to annul the concession agreement, there is a legal basis for that.”.

At the same time, the Armenian prime minister added that he does not intend to use the “language of ultimatums” on the railway issue. He suggested that Russia transfer the right to a concession to a third country, which would be acceptable to both the Russian and Armenian sides.

Railways in Armenia are legally owned by the government of the republic, but it is transferred to the management of the South Caucasus Railway ("daughter" of Russian Railways). Management takes place under a concession agreement, which was concluded in 2008 and is designed for 30 years. In early March, the Armenian prime minister announced discussions with Russia about transferring the management of the railway to another country, for example, Kazakhstan, the UAE or Qatar. The Russian Ministry of Transport noted that there are no discussions about the transfer of the concession.

Read more - in the material "Kommersant" "Armenia crosses the road of Russian Railways".