Pashinyan: Armenian-Russian working group to propose solutions for Armenia’s railways within three months
15.10.2026,
14:48
An Armenian-Russian working group is tasked with presenting solutions to ensure the competitiveness of Armenia’s railways within three months, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan announced.
YEREVAN, October 15. /ARKA/. An Armenian-Russian working group is tasked with presenting solutions to ensure the competitiveness of Armenia’s railways within three months, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan announced.
A meeting took place in Yerevan yesterday between Pashinyan and Oleg Belozerov, Director General of Russian Railways, during which it was decided to establish an Armenian-Russian working group to address challenges facing Armenia’s railway system.
At a briefing on Thursday, Pashinyan stated that Armenia has no inherent issue with the Russian concession itself; rather, the primary objective is to ensure the competitiveness of the Armenian railway network.
"Our analyses, focused on this goal, suggest that a rational approach would be to alter the current concession management structure (held by South Caucasus Railway – Ed.)—specifically, by delegating management to third parties," he noted.
At the same time, the Prime Minister mentioned that the Russian partners have expressed their readiness to propose their own solutions.
"Since our Russian partners claim they know how to address this issue and are prepared to offer solutions, I proposed during our discussions that we form a working group. This group will, within a three-month timeframe, provide answers on how to make Armenia’s railways competitive, especially given that other parallel processes are underway," he said.
Pashinyan also noted that the Russian side does not view sanctions as an obstacle to resolving these matters, whereas the Armenian side perceives them as a problem. Among the strategic objectives, the Prime Minister highlighted the restoration of the Ijevan-Hrazdan railway line, the construction of a wheelset-changing facility in Akhurik to account for the differences in railway gauge between Armenia and Europe and the connection of the Vanadzor–Gyumri and Ijevan–Hrazdan railway lines via the Lermontovo–Fioletovo section.
"We recognize that this is a complex challenge in terms of investment, technical requirements, and organization. However, the fact that it is complex does not mean we should avoid addressing it; we must resolve these issues," Pashinyan emphasized.
He added that Armenia intends to address these matters while maintaining a highly friendly approach in its relations with its Russian partners.
A meeting took place in Yerevan yesterday between Pashinyan and Oleg Belozerov, Director General of Russian Railways, during which it was decided to establish an Armenian-Russian working group to address challenges facing Armenia’s railway system.
At a briefing on Thursday, Pashinyan stated that Armenia has no inherent issue with the Russian concession itself; rather, the primary objective is to ensure the competitiveness of the Armenian railway network.
"Our analyses, focused on this goal, suggest that a rational approach would be to alter the current concession management structure (held by South Caucasus Railway – Ed.)—specifically, by delegating management to third parties," he noted.
At the same time, the Prime Minister mentioned that the Russian partners have expressed their readiness to propose their own solutions.
"Since our Russian partners claim they know how to address this issue and are prepared to offer solutions, I proposed during our discussions that we form a working group. This group will, within a three-month timeframe, provide answers on how to make Armenia’s railways competitive, especially given that other parallel processes are underway," he said.
Pashinyan also noted that the Russian side does not view sanctions as an obstacle to resolving these matters, whereas the Armenian side perceives them as a problem. Among the strategic objectives, the Prime Minister highlighted the restoration of the Ijevan-Hrazdan railway line, the construction of a wheelset-changing facility in Akhurik to account for the differences in railway gauge between Armenia and Europe and the connection of the Vanadzor–Gyumri and Ijevan–Hrazdan railway lines via the Lermontovo–Fioletovo section.
"We recognize that this is a complex challenge in terms of investment, technical requirements, and organization. However, the fact that it is complex does not mean we should avoid addressing it; we must resolve these issues," Pashinyan emphasized.
He added that Armenia intends to address these matters while maintaining a highly friendly approach in its relations with its Russian partners.
