ArmInfo. The Prime Minister of Armenia signed a decision to establish an Armenia-Russia working group to discuss issues related to the effectiveness of concession management at South Caucasus Railways (SCR).
According to the decision, the group is required to find possible solutions to existing issues and determine next steps within three months.
The group is being created following agreements reached during a meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the General Director of Russian Railways. (Russian Railways) Oleg Belozerov on October 14, 2026.
According to the source, the working group will be headed by Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia David Ivanyan.
It will also include Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of Armenia Mnatsakan Safaryan, Deputy Minister of Finance of Armenia Edgar Mkrtchyan, Deputy Minister of Transport of Russia Aleksey Nikolayevich Shilo (with consent), Head of the Department of Railway and Water Transport Policy of the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia Artak Papyan, Deputy General Director of Russian Railways OJSC Vyacheslav Pavlovsky (with consent), Head of the Department of Foreign Projects and International Cooperation of Russian Railways OJSC Anton Kozlov (with consent), and General Director of South Caucasus Railway CJSC Alexey Melnikov (by mutual consent).
As a reminder, SCR CJSC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Russian Railways OJSC. On February 13, 2008, in Yerevan, Russian Railways OJSC and the Republic of Armenia signed a concession agreement 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 twenty years of operation by mutual consent of the parties.
SCR CJSC's responsibilities include modernizing the RA railway infrastructure, developing cooperation with states neighboring Armenia, and developing domestic and international passenger and freight service. The amount of investments carried out by the Company is $572 million. JSC "SCR" began its activities on June 1, 2008.
