Just three days after a phone conversation with the President of Russia, the Prime Minister of Armenia states directly that there is no alternative to reclaiming control of the Armenian railway from Russia. Nikol Pashinyan, who previously insisted that Yerevan had no plans for unilateral termination of the contract and would not act behind Moscow's back, now hints at legal decisions without revealing specifics:
“We want to resolve this issue in a friendly manner, in a friendly manner; But we must also resolve this issue in a friendly manner in any case, but also, you know, there may be a question that we will make legal decisions. If there is a disagreement, we will go to arbitration and discuss,” Pashinyan stated during a press conference today;
What decisions he is referring to was not disclosed by the Prime Minister. He also did not clarify whether the possibility of resolving the issue through negotiations has been exhausted, as he is now talking about applying to international arbitration. According to the concession agreement, the dispute can only go to an international tribunal after a failure of mutual agreement:
The Armenian railway was handed over to Russian management in 2008 for 30 years. Pashinyan first spoke about reclaiming the strategically important company and transferring it to another country at the beginning of this year:
“Russian Railways” threatens to demand the return of its investments
Meanwhile, “Russian Railways” states that if the Armenian side intends to change or terminate the management conditions, it must return the investments.
“All rights and obligations of the parties are specified in the concession agreement, which is also signed by the government of Armenia. We intend to strictly adhere to it, and if the Armenian side considers terminating it or changing its conditions, we have the right to expect the return of our investments,” said Oleg Belozerov, the CEO of the company, to TASS.
