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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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.
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