YEREVAN, July 31. /ARKA/. The Russian Minister of Economic Development, Maxim Reshetnikov, called the question of whether Russia should make additional payments to Armenia in the event of a unilateral revision of obligations regarding the South Caucasus Railway (SCCR) unfounded.
"The SCCR is not a 'free' asset of a Russian company, but an enterprise in which we have already invested more than 30 billion rubles, purchased new rolling stock, and are developing infrastructure based on contractual obligations," Reshetnikov said, as reported by TASS.
According to him, if these obligations are unilaterally revised and the Russian investor suffers damage, Russia will have grounds to demand compensation.
"The question of whether Russia should pay anything to Armenia in such a situation is unfounded," the minister said.
This was how Reshetnikov commented on the statements of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan regarding the management of the railway infrastructure of the republic and the possible appeal to the legal mechanisms provided for resolving issues related to the SCCR concession.
The railway infrastructure of Armenia is owned by the republic and has been transferred to the management of the South Caucasus Railway, a 100% subsidiary of Russian Railways. The concession agreement was signed in 2008 for a period of 30 years.
On July 30, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan allowed for financial claims of $2 billion against Russia in the context of the SCCR concession. He stated that the railway is the property of Armenia and the republic has the right to use any legal mechanisms provided for, including arbitration.
At the same time, Pashinyan stated that Yerevan hopes to resolve the issue in a friendly format through dialogue with the Russian side.
Later that same day, the head of Russian Railways, Oleg Belozerov, stated that the Russian side intends to adhere to the terms of the concession agreement and, in the event of its termination or amendment by Armenia, expects to recover its investments.
Regarding Armenia's plans for the SCCR
In February 2026, Pashinyan did not rule out the possibility of Russia transferring the management rights of the Armenian railway to another country friendly to both Armenia and Russia, specifically Qatar, the UAE, or Kazakhstan.
He also stated that within the framework of the TRIPP project, several countries are proposing to organize railway communication between Nakhchivan and the main territory of Azerbaijan bypassing Armenia, indicating that the Armenian railway is under the management of a Russian company. According to him, because of this, "Armenia is losing its competitive advantage."
