Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has expressed serious concerns regarding Armenia's railway concessions to Russian companies, indicating that the system developed over nearly two decades could collapse overnight. The South Caucasian Railway, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, has operated the Armenian railways under a 30-year concession since 2008. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently proposed a friendly transfer of these rights to Kazakhstan, the UAE, or Qatar, citing competitive disadvantages linked to Russian control.