Established system could ‘collapse overnight’ – Shoigu on Armenia’s stance toward Russian railways

The Armenian authorities’ intention to replace Russia in managing the republic’s railways is an ill‑considered decision, and the system built over many years could “collapse overnight”, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu told TASS.

“I will not judge the competence of other states in managing railway operations, but I can say with confidence that it is unlikely any other company could fully replace the Russian railway operator, which has long worked effectively in Armenia under far from simple conditions,” Shoigu said.

“Recently, I commented on Armenia’s plans to cooperate with the United States in the nuclear sphere. The question is whether such, let us say diplomatically, ill-considered decisions might lead to equally dangerous experiments, for which ordinary Armenian citizens would ultimately pay the price. A system developed over nearly two decades could simply collapse overnight. Naturally, no ‘friendly countries’ will assume responsibility for this. I hope that when making serious decisions, Armenia’s leadership will act solely in the interests of its citizens,” the Security Council Secretary said.