Armenia, Russia discuss restoring rail links to Turkish, Azerbaijani borders

Negotiations between Armenian and Russian officials took place in Yerevan, discussing railway infrastructure, including sections connected to Azerbaijan.

Armen Simonyan, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia, held talks with Dmitry Zverev, Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation. The parties discussed issues related to the restoration and construction of the Gyumri–Akhurik railway segment near the Turkish border and the Yeraskh–Nakhchivan section bordering Azerbaijan, Caliber.Az reports per Russian media.

Earlier, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk stated that Russia and Armenia would begin negotiations on restoring railway sections in Armenia bordering Türkiye and Azerbaijan.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan previously proposed that Russia consider transferring the concessionary management of Armenia’s railways to a country friendly to both Yerevan and Moscow. He argued that, given Russia’s strained relations with several countries, its current management of the Armenian railway system could negatively affect competitiveness.

In addition to railways, the officials discussed the current level of cooperation in road and air transport and agreed to continue consultations.

By Sabina Mammadli