Pashinyan says no signal of Russian gas price hike for Armenia

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said there had been no official signal of a possible increase in the price of Russian gas supplied to his country. He made the remarks at a briefing after a government meeting.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that Pashinyan said it was too early to discuss alternatives in the absence of information about a price increase. However, he did not rule out Yerevan taking appropriate steps if such a situation arises.

On May 27, Yerevan received a warning letter from Moscow. The letter reportedly said Russia could unilaterally terminate agreements on supplies of natural gas, petroleum products and uncut diamonds if Armenia continued its course toward integration with the European Union.

Russia currently supplies gas to Armenia at $177.50 per 1,000 cubic meters. Armenia’s leadership has said it does not consider Iranian gas an alternative to Russian fuel.

According to forecasts by the Central Bank of Armenia, a price increase by Moscow could lead to a sharp rise in consumer prices and further worsen the country’s already difficult socioeconomic situation.