The South Caucasus Railway company fulfills its obligations with the utmost responsibility, and it has made investments of more than 30 billion rubles, including in the renewal of rolling stock. The spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Maria Zakharova, stated this during a press briefing Thursday.

“It is also important that their schedule was adjusted at the request of the Armenian side. It is the professional skills of Russian railway workers that helped Armenia maintain competitive advantages, which today make it possible to talk about unblocking communications in the region.

Yerevan’s arguments that the Russian concession [management of the Armenian railway system] allegedly prevents Armenia from becoming a participant in logistics initiatives are absolutely untrue, it is simply embarrassing to hear all this; I don’t know how they are not ashamed to say such things. All clarifications in this regard have been given at various levels. At the same time, the Armenian side finds it difficult to present counterarguments, justifications, facts, because they simply do not exist.

Considering that previously there was no question of transferring the [aforesaid] concession [management] to anyone, it can be assumed with great probability that Armenia’s leadership is simply being blackmailed and demanded to eliminate the so-called ‘Russian factor’ in the [country’s] transport sector, and in return they are promised multimillion-[dollar] investments on the condition of linking it to non-visible projects of economic expediency.

At the same time, they are making promises. This is completely consistent with the dishonest games of Western capitals to push Russia out of the South Caucasus region. I believe that to what extent Armenia will suffer from this is literally obvious to everyone.

Even if the Armenian leadership accepts such logic, let them first give them something, and then they themselves will refuse something.

Before making public statements, partners—when they are truly partners—sit down at the negotiating table and discuss existing problems and concerns in a businesslike atmosphere, especially, as they claim in Yerevan, if there is a wish to find a solution in a friendly atmosphere," added the Russian MFA spokesperson.