Russian Foreign Ministry: The West is blackmailing Armenia over the South Caucasus Railway concession
Western countries are blackmailing Armenia's leadership over the concession of the South Caucasus Railway (SCR), demanding the elimination of the "Russian factor" in exchange for allegedly multimillion-dollar investments.
This was stated to TASS by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
"Given that the issue of transferring the concession to anyone has not been raised before, it can be assumed with a high degree of probability that the Armenian leadership is simply being blackmailed. They are being required to eliminate the 'Russian factor' in the transport sphere, and in exchange they are being promised multimillion-dollar investments and involvement in projects whose economic feasibility is hardly discernible. This is quite in the spirit of the unscrupulous games of Western capitals aimed at squeezing Russia out of the South Caucasus region," the Russian diplomatic department noted in response to a question about whether Yerevan had contacted Moscow through diplomatic channels on the issue of the SCR concession.
Resolving this issue in a friendly manner presupposes a businesslike discussion at the negotiating table, the Foreign Ministry added.
"In general, before making public statements, partners usually sit down at the table and discuss existing problems and concerns in a businesslike manner. Especially if there is a desire, as they claim in Yerevan, to find a solution in a friendly manner," the diplomatic department noted, commenting on this topic, TASS reports.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, speaking the day before in the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, proposed that Russian partners show flexibility and sell the rights to the concession management of the country's railway network to a third party acceptable to both Yerevan and Moscow.
The head of government emphasized that the railways themselves are the property of Armenia and have been transferred to Russian Railways (RZD) solely for management. According to Pashinyan, Yerevan treats Russia and its interests with respect, however the current status quo creates the risk of missing a historic opportunity for the country's integration into international transport networks, Armenian Telegram channels report.
