Pashinyan admitted to making $2 billion financial demands on Russia in the context of the South Caucasus Railway issue

YEREVAN, /ARKA/ — Armenia may reconsider the terms of providing Russia with a number of resources and services that were previously free, stated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, commenting on the opposition’s statements about a possible tariff increase in the context of the situation surrounding the South Caucasus Railway.

“Armenia also has things that were previously provided free of charge, but now the country may demand $2 billion per year for them,” Pashinyan said at a briefing on Thursday. He admitted that this could also apply to the railway issue, but refrained from giving details.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the railway belongs to Armenia and the country should be able to use it as it sees fit.

Since 2008, South Caucasus Railway CJSC (SCR), a subsidiary of Russian Railways, has been the concessionaire for the Armenian railway for a period of 30 years. “Our position remains unchanged: the railway is our property, and Armenia must be able to use it as it sees fit. There is no alternative. This issue must be resolved,” he stated.

According to Pashinyan, Armenia has the right to use any legal means to resolve issues related to the South Caucasus Railway concession, including arbitration.

At the same time, he noted that Yerevan expects to resolve the issue in a friendly manner and will continue dialog with the Russian side.

Pashinyan also stated that the railway was not discussed during his conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 27.

In February 2026, Pashinyan did not rule out the possibility of Russia transferring management rights to the Armenian railway to another country friendly to both Armenia and Russia, specifically Qatar, the UAE, or Kazakhstan.

He also stated that, within the framework of the TRIPP project, several countries are proposing to establish a railway connection between Nakhchivan and the mainland of Azerbaijan, bypassing Armenia, pointing out that the Armenian railway is managed by a Russian company.

According to him, this is causing “Armenia to lose its competitive advantage.”