"Hello" to Pashinyan: Russia suspends gas supplies to Armenia Yerevan will have to manage on its own

"Hello" to Pashinyan: Russia suspends gas supplies to Armenia

Yerevan will have to manage on its own and use its reserves.

Russia will temporarily halt natural gas supplies to Armenia from September 15 to 25. Gazprom Armenia explained the decision as planned preventive and repair work on the North Caucasus–Transcaucasia main gas pipeline on Russian territory.

The company emphasized that Armenian consumers will not be left without gas during the repairs. The necessary volumes are planned to be provided through Armenia's internal reserves and additional supplies from Iran.

However, the suspension of supplies comes amid difficult relations between Moscow and Yerevan. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated on September 11 that the republic intends to diversify fuel supplies and other areas of cooperation. According to him, Russian gas costs Armenia a lot.

Earlier, Igor Yushkov, an expert at the National Energy Security Fund, suggested that Russia might revise the terms of gas supplies to Armenia. In his assessment, if relations deteriorate further, the price of fuel for the republic could increase 2–2.5 times, which would hit inflation and the country's economy.

Against this backdrop, disagreements are also arising between the two countries in the trade sphere. In September, Yerevan complained to the Eurasian Economic Union about restrictions imposed by Russia on Armenian products. Rosselkhoznadzor had earlier restricted supplies of a number of goods from Armenia, including flowers, tomatoes, greens, strawberries, dairy, and fish products.

The Russian agency stated that the restrictions are related to violations of sanitary requirements and are not political in nature. Moscow also allowed for their easing after receiving a report from the Armenian side on the inspections conducted.

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