BAKU, Azerbaijan, April 1. Moscow is not negotiating with Astana and Yerevan regarding the transfer of the concession for the management of Armenia’s railways to Kazakhstan, the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said at a briefing, Trend reports.
She made the remark, commenting on the statement of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about considering the transfer of the concession for the South Caucasus Railway company to Kazakhstan as one of the possible options.
"I would like to draw your attention to the fact that on March 30, the Russian Minister of Transport Andrey Nikitin said that Moscow isn't negotiating the transfer of the concession for the management of the Armenian railways to Kazakhstan with either Astana or Yerevan. It's very important to take into account this statement made at the expert level - that is, at the level of the leadership of the relevant institution.
Moreover, the term of the concession agreement concluded in 2008 is 30 years, with the possibility of an additional 10-year extension. For many years, the South Caucasus Railway CJSC has been responsibly fulfilling the provisions of this agreement, and Russia's investments in the republic's road infrastructure exceed 30 billion rubles.
As for high-level negotiations, they are traditionally commented on by the presidential administration," Zakharova added.
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