The Kremlin warned on Monday that Armenia could lose the “very attractive” price it pays for Russian gas if it moved away from integration with Russia and deepened ties with the European Union.
Armenia is a member of a Russian-led economic union and remains heavily dependent on Russia for energy supplies. In recent years, however, it has pursued closer ties with the European Union, including adopting a law last year to begin its accession process to the bloc.
“There is a very, very attractive and more than preferential price for Russian gas,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about relations with Armenia.
“But, of course, such terms are not available to participants in other integration frameworks. There, the pricing structure is entirely different. It is market-based.”
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Armenia had no interest in severing political or economic ties with Russia.
“We want and will strive to preserve and deepen our normal relations,” Russian news agency Interfax quoted him as telling reporters in Yerevan on Monday.
Russian President Vladimir Putin raised the issue of gas pricing during a meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in April, saying Yerevan paid $177.50 for 1,000 cubic metres of Russian gas that would cost more than $600 in Europe.
"The disparity is vast," Putin said.
The Russian leader also told reporters on 9 May that it would be “logical” for Armenia to hold a referendum on its aspirations to join the EU.
Armenia is due to hold a parliamentary election in June, pitting Pashinyan’s party against an array of opposition groups, many of them pro-Russian.
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Senior officials from Azerbaijan and Armenia held a working meeting in Dilijan, Armenia, on 14 June to discuss issues related to the peace agenda between the two countries.
Domestic economic conditions are playing a growing role in shaping the outlook for Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, according to global financial services group ING.
Azerbaijan dispatched 17 railway wagons carrying 984 tonnes of diesel fuel to Armenia on Thursday, marking the latest shipment in growing trade between the two countries.
Türkiye welcomed Armenia's parliamentary election result on Monday, urging Yerevan to take "bolder steps" towards regional peace and diplomatic normalisation.
Pakistan has warned that any attempt by India to block or significantly reduce river flows under the Indus Waters Treaty could have “far-reaching consequences”, after India's water minister said New Delhi was working to ensure that “not a single drop” of water reaches Pakistan in the coming years.
Armenia has every right to choose Europe. But Europe’s support for Armenia’s direction should not become automatic approval of its political process.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said a peace agreement with Iran is scheduled to be signed on Sunday in a post on social media, despite Tehran's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei saying no deal would be approved this weekend.
Japan’s birth rate and fertility levels have fallen to their lowest levels on record, highlighting the country’s worsening demographic crisis as fewer people marry and have children.
The global race to develop quantum computing is accelerating, with governments and technology firms investing heavily in what is expected to become a major new computing era.
Senior officials from Azerbaijan and Armenia held a working meeting in Dilijan, Armenia, on 14 June to discuss issues related to the peace agenda between the two countries.
Tajikistan has strengthened its position as one of Central Asia’s fastest-growing economies. According to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the trend is supported by investment activity, industrial expansion and large-scale infrastructure projects.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has urged Georgia to implement reforms to tackle youth unemployment. Nearly 30 per cent of people aged 15-24 are without a job in the country, according to World Bank data.
Kazakhstan’s ruling Amanat party has announced it will merge with a party launched only a month ago by allies of the country’s President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
An Indian pollution regulator has accused a Tata components factory supplying Apple iPhones of contaminating groundwater near farmland with wastewater, raising the prospect of a forced shutdown unless the company provides a satisfactory response.
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