The debate on the Yerevan-Moscow railway continues. In an interview regarding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's proposal to sell the railway concession to Armenia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov effectively reprimanded the Armenian leader for making public statements instead of discussing such issues directly with Russia.
“Any question of interest to Armenians can be discussed, including the situation related to the South Caucasus Railway company, which is under the concession management of Russian Railways. And we are surprised to hear how, on these issues, if they have already arisen, public statements are made about ‘we will take it,’ ‘it is generally ours,’ and ‘we are owed 2 billion,’ instead of addressing one’s partner directly,” Lavrov said.
Pashinyan first spoke about the need to take back and transfer the strategically important company to another country at the beginning of this year. Moscow sharply rejected the transfer of management, stating that if this happens, Armenia will have to return all Russian investments, which amount to about 400 million dollars.
In response, Pashinyan noted that Yerevan is determined to manage its own railways and sees no alternative, while regarding the return of investments, the Prime Minister hinted that if Moscow insists on this demand, Armenia might start asking for 2 billion dollars annually for certain things provided for free.
