President Serzh Sarkisian on Friday called for an “active” Chinese involvement in the realization of his government’s ambitious plans to build a railway connecting Armenia with neighboring Iran.
Speaking on the third day of his state visit to Beijing, Sarkisian said the 470-kilometer railway could be part of a transnational “Silk Road economic zone” which China would like to set up along a vast geographic area.
“In this regard, Armenia expects an active participation of Chinese companies in the construction of the Armenia-Iran railway,” he said in a speech at Peking University. “That will ensure the region’s even development, which is fully in tune with China’s ‘peace for development’ motto.”
“At the same time, that would ensure China’s strong presence in the South Caucasus region and give impetus to bilateral China-Armenia relations,” added Sarkisian.
A Chinese firm, China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), is already involved in the extremely ambitious project, having conducted a feasibility study and recommended a cost-effective route for the rail link. The study was commissioned in 2013 by Rasia FZE, a Dubai-based investment company. The latter had in turn a received 30-year Armenian government concession to build and manage the 305-kilometer section of the railway that would pass through Armenia.
Earlier this year, Armenia’s Deputy Transport Minister Artur Arakelian said that Rasia has been holding “very active negotiations” with unnamed Chinese investors interested in financing work on the Armenian section, which would cost an estimated $3 billion.
Visiting Yerevan in late January, Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif spoke of further progress made towards the construction of the railway. “There have been very good trilateral discussions and good decisions and we hope that [the project] will quickly move forward,” Zarif said without elaborating.
According to Sarkisian’s press office, the railway project was on the agenda of the Armenian president’s talks with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang held on Thursday. The office did not report any concrete agreements to that effect reached by the two men.
Addressing Peking University students and professors, Sarkisian touted Armenia’s
“dynamically developing friendly relations” with China that were underlined by his joint declaration with Chinese President Xi Jinping adopted on Wednesday. Closer ties with Beijing are “one of the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy,” he said.