Pashinyan: Armenia, Russia agree to seek solution to railway issue

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said his latest meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the SCO summit proceeded in a positive working atmosphere, during which a number of agreements were reached.

“The meeting was positive, in a working atmosphere. We agreed that I will visit Moscow in the near future, and we will discuss various issues,” Pashinyan said at a press briefing when asked to comment.

“We also reached certain working agreements. In particular, the idea arose that we should take stock of the concept of Armenia-Russia relations in order to understand what it means in practice. That is, what lines are under that subheading, and which of those lines are the ones on which we have the same position bilaterally, which are the lines on which we have different positions, where do we have an unequivocally positive view, and where are our views not unequivocal,” Pashinyan elaborated.

He added that they discussed issues in various fields and also touched upon the Russian concession management of Armenia’s railway network.

“Regarding the railway, an understanding was formed that we need to resolve this issue in some way. For me, it is obvious that the current situation cannot continue for long, and we need to move toward solutions,” Pashinyan said.

The concession management of Armenia’s railway is currently carried out by Russia through South Caucasus Railway.

Pashinyan had previously addressed the issue, saying that Russian management deprives Armenia of certain competitive advantages and proposing that the concession management of the Armenian railway be transferred to a third country that is acceptable to both Armenia and Russia.

Russian officials have so far opposed the idea.