Russia is ready to continue the concession management of Armenian railways and is in favor of resolving emerging issues through calm dialogue, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk said, RIA Novosti reports.

“We [i.e. Russia] are in favor of resolving all these issues through consultations, dialogue, completely calmly. We are ready to continue working and continue the concession [management] in Armenia,” Overchuk said. In his assessment, Russian Railways remains one of the few companies that can effectively manage and develop the railway system of Armenia.

“Moreover, today Russian Railways is probably the only professional company that is able to effectively manage this railway and develop it,” the Russian deputy premier said. Earlier, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia did not rule out that the dispute over the future management of the country’s railway infrastructure by the Armenian “subsidiary” of Russian Railways, South Caucasus Railway, could be referred to arbitration. In 2008, the railway infrastructure of Armenia was transferred to concession management by South Caucasus Railway.

But in February 2026, Prime Minister Pashinyan announced that Yerevan was considering the possibility of transferring the concession management rights to a company from a third country that has friendly relations with both Russia and Armenia.