MOSCOW — Armenia’s authorities’ desire to replace Russia in managing the country’s railway system is a “rash decision that could lead to serious consequences,” Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has stated.
“I will not assess the competence of other states in railway management, but I can confidently say that it is unlikely any other company could fully replace the Russian operator, which has long and effectively worked in Armenia under difficult conditions,” he said.
Shoigu recalled that South Caucasus Railway, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, has been fulfilling its contractual obligations for nearly 20 years. According to him, during that time Russian investments have exceeded 30 billion rubles, while more than 15 billion rubles in taxes have been transferred to Armenia’s state budget.
“And now [Prime Minister] Nikol Pashinyan says that Armenia’s railways being under the management of a Russian company discourages potential partners, hampers regional projects, and is considering transferring the management of Armenia’s railway network to another country friendly to Armenia and Russia,” Shoigu emphasized.
He also drew parallels with other initiatives by Yerevan.
“Recently, I commented on the situation surrounding Armenia’s nuclear cooperation programs with the United States. And here again, could such—diplomatically speaking—ill-considered decisions not lead to similarly risky experiments, for which ordinary Armenian citizens will ultimately have to pay?” the Russian Security Council Secretary asked.
He added that the system built over nearly two decades could “simply collapse within an hour.”
“Of course, no ‘friendly country’ would bear responsibility for that. I hope that when making responsible decisions, Armenia’s leadership will proceed exclusively from the interests of its citizens,” Shoigu said.
He noted that the company manages more than 1,200 units of immovable property and over 12,500 units of rolling stock. During the years of the contract, more than 520 kilometers of railway lines out of approximately 700 kilometers in total have been renovated, and dozens of bridges and tunnels have been reconstructed.
According to him, more than 500,000 passengers and over 1.6 million tons of cargo are transported annually.
“The railway plays a strategic role for a country without access to the sea. Behind all of this stand more than 2,500 employees, mainly citizens of Armenia,” he stressed.
Shoigu also recalled that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenia’s railway infrastructure was in a dire condition, and in 2008 a concession agreement was signed under which the management of Armenia’s railway system was transferred to South Caucasus Railway until 2038.
