Yerevan denies ongoing talks with Moscow over railway concession

Armenia and Russia are not currently engaged in negotiations over the potential sale of the concession for Armenia’s railway system, Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan said.

Speaking to journalists, Grigoryan stated: “At the moment, there are no negotiations,” while expressing confidence that the two sides could reach a common understanding if discussions were to begin, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

He added that Yerevan has requested Moscow to restore two railway sections leading to the borders with Azerbaijan and Türkiye, a step he said would help prepare Armenia’s rail network for the eventual unblocking of regional transport links. “Yes, we proposed building two sections [of the railway] so that the system would ultimately be complete and ready for the unblocking process. This is a very specific process; there have been proposals, but there is no concrete detail on other issues,” he said, noting that repairs to these sections would be necessary regardless.

Earlier, on February 13, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Yerevan had suggested the Russian side consider selling its railway concession to a third country friendly to both Armenia and Russia, naming Kazakhstan, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar as possible options. Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia has no objections to Russia, but argued that the existing concession creates “certain competitive disadvantages” for the country.

On April 2, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexei Overchuk told reporters that there are no objective reasons to transfer the concession of South Caucasus Railway, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, to a third party.

The concession agreement between Russian Railways and Armenia was signed in Yerevan on February 13, 2008, granting South Caucasus Railway management of the country’s rail network for 30 years, with the option of a 10-year extension after the first 20 years by mutual consent.

By Vafa Guliyeva