Zakharova shamed the Armenian authorities for statements about the railway.

Yerevan's arguments that the Russian concession hinders Armenia from participating in logistics initiatives are absolutely unfounded, said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry.

As reported by "Caucasian Knot", at the end of July, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan allowed the possibility of going to court regarding the operation of the South Caucasian Railway (SCR) under the concession of Russian Railways and stated that Armenia could demand an annual payment from Russia. In response, Russian Railways stated their right to recover investments if the concession with Armenia changes.

The company "South Caucasian Railway" is fulfilling its obligations as responsibly as possible: it has made investments totaling over 30 billion rubles, including in the modernization of rolling stock, said the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova today.

"It is also important that their schedule was adjusted at the request of the Armenian side. It was the competencies of Russian railway workers that helped Armenia maintain competitive advantages, which today allow for discussions about unblocking communications in the region. Yerevan's arguments that the Russian concession allegedly hinders Armenia from participating in logistics initiatives are absolutely unfounded; it's just shameful to listen to all this, I don't know how they can say such things without shame. All clarifications on this matter have been provided at various levels. At the same time, the Armenian side finds it difficult to provide counterarguments, reasoning, and facts because they simply do not exist," she stated at a briefing.

Considering that the issue of transferring the concession to anyone was not previously raised, it can be assumed with a high degree of probability that the Armenian leadership is simply being blackmailed and is being asked to eliminate the so-called Russian factor in the transport sector, in exchange for promises of multi-million investments, which are in question. She believes, "Promises are being made. This is quite in the spirit of unscrupulous games of Western capitals to push Russia out of the South Caucasus region. How much Armenia will suffer from this is, I think, obvious to everyone," Zakharova emphasized.

At the same time, on August 25, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suggested that Russia "show flexibility" and sell the concession rights to manage a section of the SCR to a third party acceptable to both Moscow and Yerevan. He explained this by the need to integrate Armenia into the international railway network and implement the "Trump Route" project.

According to Pashinyan, Armenia wants a peaceful resolution to the issue of the Russian concession on the railway and does not want to resort to "sharp solutions." The Armenian Prime Minister noted that Yerevan does not want to terminate the existing contract with Moscow.

At a briefing on August 27, the Prime Minister was asked why, if there is an offer to buy the SCR for $400 million, and this amount exceeds the proposed fine for early termination of the agreement with the Russian Federation, Yerevan is not going for the deal, writes News.Am today. In response, Pashinyan spoke about the restoration of the Akhuryan-Yeraskh section and active discussions. According to him, the mentioned figure was voiced verbally, and since restoring the road in Gyumri and Ararat takes time, the question of sale is urgent but not immediate.