Armenia, Russia to set up working group on railway operations

Armenia and Russia will establish a working group to address issues related to the operation of the railway system.

According to Report, citing Armenian media, the Armenian government said this following a meeting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Russian Railways CEO Oleg Belozerov.

"An agreement was reached to establish a joint working group to discuss the identified problems within a short timeframe, seek possible solutions and clarify further steps," the statement said.

During the meeting in Yerevan, Pashinyan noted that, given the prospects for unblocking regional transport infrastructure, the Armenian government aims to make the country's railways competitive and integrate them into the railway networks of neighboring countries and the international network.

In this context, the sides discussed opportunities arising from regional developments and steps aimed at increasing the competitiveness of Armenia's railways and integrating them into international transport routes.

"The sides exchanged views on railway reconstruction projects on the Gyumri-Akhurik-Türkiye border and Yeraskh-Nakhchivan (Azerbaijan) sections," the statement said.

The sides also discussed infrastructure development carried out during the concession management period of South Caucasus Railway, management efficiency, existing problems and possible solutions.

Following the talks, Belozerov said Russian Railways intends to abide by its railway concession agreement with Armenia.

"We are open to dialogue with the Armenian government and to jointly assessing the effectiveness of the concession agreement. For our part, we intend to firmly comply with all obligations we have undertaken," he said.

Russian Railways said investments in Armenia's railway system during the period of concession management by its subsidiary amounted to around $400 million.

It added that no dividends had ever been paid to the shareholder, with all profits reinvested in the development of the railway.