SCR CONCESSION STEALS LIMELIGHT AT ARMENIAN-RUSSIAN PARLIAMENTARY COMMISSION’S MEETING
ARKA
March 31, 2009
YEREVAN, March 31. /ARKA/. The South Caucasus Railways’ concession
management was the focus of last week’s meeting of the Armenian-Russian
Parliamentary Commission, the SCR press service reported.
At the March 26 Moscow meeting of the Armenian-Russian Commission
for Parliamentary Cooperation, SCR General Director Shevket Shaidulin
proposed setting up a special group under the commission to observe
SCR’s concession management of Armenian Railways.
Reporting back the company’s activities to the commission, Shaidulin
touched upon SCR’s objectives.
"We do not position ourselves as a company that just makes investments.
Our mission is to become a national company, increasing the long-term
effectiveness and financial stability, as well as enhancing the
quality of services and expanding capacities of transport business
that integrates into the European-Asian transport logistics system,"
he said.
Shaidulin stressed the importance of the government’s cooperation with
SCR. "I suggest the Parliamentary Commission that it set up a group
to control the implementation of the concession agreement," he added.
The SCR general director introduced the commission to the company’s
financial model, including total expenditures and proceeds for
2008-2012, as well as the basic funds for 2009.
In their turn, the Parli amentary Commission members led by Nikolai
Rizhkov and Aram Safaryan vowed staunch support to the concessionaire.
On 1 June 2008, SCR, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Russian Railways,
received property owned by Armenian Railways under the February 13,
2008 concession agreement the parties concluded for 30 years, with a
right of extension for another 20 years after the first 20 years of
operation.