Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, at a press briefing following the government Cabinet meeting on Thursday, did not rule out that decisions could be made on the legal front regarding the South Caucasus Railway (SCR) company, up to and including a petition to the International Court of Arbitration.

Pashinyan noted that during his last phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, he did not discuss issues related to Armenia’s railways, which are under concession management by SCR, a subsidiary of the Russian Railways. However, the prime minister added that the position of the Armenian government remains unchanged: “The railway is the property of the Republic of Armenia, and the [Armenian] state must use it as it sees fit.”

The Armenian government expects that this issue with Russia over the SCR will be resolved amicably.

“However, a legal issue may arise. And in case of disagreement [with the Russian side], it may be examined in the International Court of Arbitration. For example, circumstances may surface for which we [i.e. Armenia] have not demanded anything for 30 years, but now we demand $2 billion a year,” the Armenian premier added.

When asked whether he was referring to concession management payments, Nikol Pashinyan replied that there was no need for indications.

“We [i.e. Armenia] want to resolve the issue amicably. The important [thing] is to resolve the issue,” he concluded.