Pashinyan: Armenia to "take over" regional railway sections if Russia refuses to invest

Armenia is prepared to independently advance the unblocking of regional transport and railway communications if Russian partners choose not to invest, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan made the remarks during a briefing following a meeting of the Armenian government, Caliber.Az reports, citing Armenian media.

The Armenian government intends to deepen cooperation with Russian partners on unblocking regional communications, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

“We have submitted a written appeal on this matter. I do not yet know whether there has been a written response, but overall we see positive signals and hope that the process will accelerate,” Pashinyan said.

He recalled that after the beginning of 2026, representatives of Armenia and Azerbaijan visited the Yeraskh–Sadarak border railway junction. “This shows that processes in the region are underway and cannot be stopped,” the prime minister added.

“The same applies to the section in Akhurik [the border junction between Armenia and Türkiye — ed.]. If, for any reason, our Russian partners decide not to invest, we will take over these sections and do everything ourselves,” Pashinyan stated.

Overall, he noted that Armenia maintains close cooperation with the United States, Russia, and China. Armenia established a strategic dialogue with China in September 2025, signing a relevant document following a bilateral meeting between the leaders of the two countries. This year alone, two to three bilateral meetings have already been held with the President of Russia, and cooperation is developing across all areas, Pashinyan added.

By Khagan Isayev