Russia's state-owned railway monopoly Russian Railways (RZhD) runs the network under a long-term management contract signed with the Armenian government in 2008.
“We hope that the Russian partners will carry out these works as quickly as possible,” Pashinian told reporters. “If suddenly there are any obstacles related to this, if any other issues arise … I have also expressed the Armenian government’s readiness to take over these sections, that is, withdraw them from the [2008] concession.”
“We will carry out these repairs with the funds of the state budget if it turns out that the Russian Federation has any problems or sees any problems related to carrying out these works in a timely manner,” he said.
Pashinian referred to three railway sections that have for decades been disused due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He again did not specify their total length or the amount of money needed for reactivating them. He raised the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the start of their talks held in Saint Petersburg on Monday.
“I can’t say that there are already political decisions about opening these railways [leading to Azerbaijan and Turkey,] but I think that the situation has matured to the point where preparatory work needs to be carried out,” he told Putin.
Pashinian said nothing on Thursday about Putin’s or RZhD’s reaction to his calls. The three sections mentioned by him do not include a 43-kilometer transit corridor that would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan exclave through Armenia’s Syunik province.
Pashinian pledged to give the United States exclusive rights to the corridor during his trilateral talks with U.S. President Donald Trump and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held in Washington in August. Although the deal is seen by analysts as another blow to Russian presence in Armenia, Russia’s public reaction to it has been rather cautious. The planned Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP) was also on the agenda of Pashinian’s talks with Putin.
Commenting on Pashinian’s latest remarks, an Armenian opposition lawmaker, Artur Khachatrian, pointed out that the Armenian state budget for next year recently approved by the parliament sets aside no government funding for railway repairs. Khachatrian suggested that Pashinian’s readiness to spend public funds on such work is part of Yerevan’s efforts to “push Russian capital out of Armenia.”
In recent weeks, Azerbaijan has allowed shipments of Russian and Kazakh wheat as well as Azerbaijani fuel to Armenia to be carried out through its territory. Trains carrying those commodities entered Armenia from Georgia.
Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan indicated on Thursday that transit fees set by the Georgian government are too high to justify further cargo shipments by rail. He said Yerevan is negotiating with Tbilisi on their possible reduction.
“In my opinion, it’s a very good time to open the land border between Armenia and Azerbaijan … In my opinion, there is nothing in Armenia or Azerbaijan that should prevent this,” Papoyan told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Azerbaijani officials have not yet publicly commented on the possibility of direct cross-border commerce between the two countries.