Russia readying to stop servicing Armenian RailwaysSeptember 20, 2019 - 18:35 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Russian fully state-owned railway company Russian Railways (RZhD) is preparing to break the agreement with the Armenian authorities, claiming that they are blocking the operation of its subsidiary, the South Caucasus Railway, which manages the Armenian railways. The information was first reported by RTVI, which cited a source familiar with the matter, and was later confirmed in the Ministry of Transport of Russia. Relations between Russian Railways and the Armenian authorities escalated due to searches and criminal cases against the South Caucasus Railway. “Armenia has created a situation in which the South Caucasus Railway cannot work normally: all documents of the past 10 years have been seized, unproven charges have been brought and no guarantees have been given," said Russia's Deputy Minister of Transport Vladimir Tokarev. In a conversation fo PanARMENIAN.Net the spokesman for the South Caucasus Railway, Ruben Grdzelyan, did not comment on the future of the company. "I can’t comment on this issue, I can only say that the South Caucasus Railway is operating normally. I cannot add more to the story," said Grdzelyan. On 13 February 2008, the Armenian government signed an agreement to transfer 100% of the state-owned Armenian Railways to Russian Railways. Under the agreement, the concession period was 30 years, with a possible extension for another 10 years by mutual agreement of the parties. Top stories Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". The earthquake caused a temporary blackout, damaged many buildings and closed a number of rural roads. Partner news | Cyprus parliament honors Armenian genocide victims Acting House President Zacharias Koulias noted that April 24 marks the “black anniversary” of the Armenian genocide. Armenia PM, France envoy discuss regional matters Issues related to the consistent development of Armenia-France cooperation were discussed. Azerbaijan razes historic Armenian church to ground Azerbaijan has demolished the historic Armenian Church of St. John the Baptist (known as Kanach Zham). Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills |