I asked Russian partners to deal, on an urgent basis, with the full restoration of the railway sections from Yeraskh to the border with Nakhichevan and from Akhurik to the border with Turkey. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told this to a press briefing Thursday.

Pashinyan added that in the near future he will raise the matter of restoring the Ijevan-Gazakh railway section, too. In his assessment, there is a need to quickly restore that section as well. Pashinyan expressed hope that the Russian partners will carry this out.

He added that the Meghri railway section is not under Russian control, and therefore it must be handed over to Armenia. “This is the sovereign territory of Armenia, and we have not entrusted control of this territory to anyone. There is no railway there, so it must be managed by someone,” he added.

The Armenian premier recalled that after the signing of the declaration in the US on August 8, rumors circulated that the document was directed against Russia. “I said that this opens new opportunities for Armenian-Russian relations. Russia and Armenia have established railway communication, which had not happened throughout the entire history of independent Armenia and Russia until the signing of the document on August 8,” he noted.

The PM added that TRIPP is a bilateral project and the engagement of third parties in it can be discussed only bilaterally. Pashinyan concluded by saying that this is clear.