Ministry: Kazakhstan not in talks on Armenian railway concession

Kazakhstan is not currently holding negotiations to acquire Russia's concession for Armenia's railways, officials said.

According to Interfax-Kazakhstan, both Kazakhstan Temir Zholy (KTZ) and the country's Ministry of Transport confirmed that no such discussions are underway.

Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had stated that Armenia would not oppose Kazakhstan acquiring the Russian concession for its railways, provided Russia agreed. However, the Russian side has said it does not plan to pursue such a deal.

South Caucasus Railway CJSC, which operates Armenia's railway network, is a wholly owned subsidiary of Russian Railways (RZD). The concession agreement between Armenia and RZD was signed in 2008 for a 30-year term, with an option to extend it by an additional 10 years.