The desire of the Armenian authorities to replace Russia in the management of Armenia's railways is an ill-considered decision: the system they have established "can collapse overnight".
Medianews.az, citing Publika.az, reports that this was stated by Sergey Shoigu, Secretary of the Russian Security Council, to TASS.
Shoigu noted that it is unlikely that another company can fully replace the Russian railway carrier, which has been operating effectively in Armenia for a long time, even under the most difficult conditions.
"Recently, I commented on the situation regarding Armenia's plans for cooperation with the United States on nuclear matters. A system built over about twenty years can collapse overnight. Naturally, no 'friendly country' will bear responsibility for this. I hope that the Armenian leadership will make important decisions based solely on the interests of their citizens," he said.
The Secretary of the Russian Security Council pointed out that South Caucasus Railways (SCR) has responsibly fulfilled the terms of the concession agreement, including investment conditions, for about 20 years. According to him, during this period, the volume of investments Russia has made in Armenia's railway system, including railway transport, exceeds 30 billion rubles.
"Now Nikol Pashinyan says that handing over Armenia's railways to a Russian company scares potential partners, hampers regional projects, and is discussing the transfer of the management of Armenia's railway network to a friendly country to Russia and Armenia," Shoigu noted.
He recalled that the contract envisages SCR as the concessionaire, owning, using, managing, operating, maintaining, repairing, and making necessary upgrades to the concession assets.
"When the agreement was signed, the Russian side took responsibility for more than 1,200 immovable assets and more than 12,500 movable assets of the Armenian railway system," he added.
Shoigu said that thanks to the concession agreement over the past 20 years, more than 15 billion rubles in taxes were transferred to the Armenian budget, over 520 km of railway were rebuilt, and the operational length of the network managed by SCR JSC is about 700 km.
"Fifty percent of the sleepers have been replaced, more than 50 structures, including 38 bridges and two tunnels, have been repaired and rebuilt. Looking at the two-year statistics, the picture is as follows: on average, SCR JSC annually transports more than 500,000 passengers (approximately 360,000 of whom are local passengers) and over 1.6 million tons of cargo," he added.
Shoigu emphasized that "it is difficult to estimate the contribution of the company to the republic's economy. All the necessary loads for Armenia's needs are transported by SCR JSC:
"Railways play a strategic role in providing transport connections for a landlocked country. Behind all this stand the people and the company's employees. At present, the company guarantees employment to more than 2,500 people as an employer. Incidentally, almost all of them are residents and citizens of Armenia who receive all necessary social benefits."
Shoigu remarked that when discussing the contract, it is worth recalling its history and certain legal matters directly related to the concessions.
"After the collapse of the USSR, the Armenian railway system was in serious crisis. The infrastructure was severely deteriorated, and many parts of the railway were not operational due to snow avalanches and landslides. Considering that the republic was practically blockaded, both freight and passenger traffic had significantly declined. Significant financial investments were needed for modernization, including the replacement of outdated railway. In this situation, the Armenian government announced a tender for the restoration of the railway, and Russia won the tender," he said.