Zakharova: Russia  in talks with Armenia to restore rail links to  Azerbaijani and Turkish borders 

ArmInfo.  The Russian side is in active contact with Armenian partners regarding the restoration of railway lines leading to the borders of Azerbaijan and Turkey, as stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria  Zakharova during a weekly briefing on January 30.

"The Russian side remains in contact with Armenian partners,  including through the government's economic bloc. All requests from  Yerevan are being promptly handled by the relevant agencies," the  Russian diplomat said, commenting on Armenian Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan's earlier appeals for Russian assistance in restoring these  cross-border rail connections.

 "Regarding the 'Trump Road,' as they call it, we reaffirm our  willingness to explore possible options for our participation, taking  into account Russian Railways' unique expertise. Before proceeding,  it  would probably be worthwhile to familiarize ourselves with all  the details of the implementation and operation of this initiative,  as we understand, its development is still in its early stages. Our  proposal to Yerevan to hold substantive consultations involving all  interested agencies remains valid," she concluded.

Recall, over the past month, the Armenian Prime Minister has  repeatedly appealed to Russia to consider the possibility of  expeditiously restoring railway sections in the direction of the  Turkish and Azerbaijani borders. He also emphasized that if, for any  reason, Russia is unable to invest in these infrastructure projects,  the Armenian government is prepared to reclaim these sections,  currently under concession management by SCR, and independently  restore them.

Note, SCR CJSC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Russian Railways OJSC.  On February 13, 2008, a concession agreement was signed in Yerevan  between Russian Railways OJSC and the Republic of Armenia  transferring the Republic's rail transport system to SCR CJSC.  According to the agreement, the concession management term is 30  years, with the right to extend it for an additional 10 years after  the first 20 years of operation by mutual agreement of the parties.  South Caucasus Railways (SCR) is tasked with modernizing the Republic  of Armenia's railway infrastructure, developing cooperation with  neighboring countries, and developing domestic and international  passenger and freight service. The Company's investment totals $572  million. SCR commenced operations on June 1, 2008.