Russia set four conditions for gas supply to Armenia — Media
Russia has set four conditions for gas supplies to Armenia — Media
If Armenia does not fulfill Russia's four political demands, gas supplies to it will be stopped.
Currently, gas supply is temporarily suspended due to planned maintenance work. Domestic demand is being covered by reserves in storage facilities.
According to sources, a major "accident" or force majeure situation could occur on November 1, after which supplies will not be resumed, they said.
"Hraparak" interlocutors say that Moscow is ready to prevent escalation if Armenia does not discuss the future of the Russian military base in Gyumri and does not take measures against companies with Russian capital participation.
Another demand of Russia is for Armenia to make a choice between the EAEU and the European Union. Sources say Yerevan must cancel the law on starting the European integration process or set a date for a referendum on this issue. In addition, Moscow is reportedly demanding an end to the criminal prosecution of politicians sympathetic to Russia and the appointment of a candidate acceptable to the Kremlin as deputy prime minister.
On May 26, Russia warned Armenia that if it continues its movement towards joining the European Union, it could unilaterally terminate the agreement on the supply of natural gas, petroleum products, and rough diamonds.
### Yerevan is looking for alternatives to Russian gas
Armenia is almost completely dependent on Russian gas. In 2025, Gazprom supplied 2.7 billion cubic meters of gas to the country. The preferential price for Yerevan is $177 per thousand cubic meters. The Kremlin has stated that if Armenia leaves the EAEU, gas will be sold at market prices.
On September 16, Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Alen Simonyan said that the republic is capable of replacing Russian supplies with purchases from Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran. To objections about the cheapness of Russian gas, he replied that fuel "is being used as political currency."
"Who said that the price of gas is measured only in dollars?" Simonyan said.
Earlier, Pashinyan said that regardless of how Russia sets the price of gas, the country will look for other sources of supply. He also expressed his views on Armenia's membership in the CSTO (Collective Security Treaty Organization) and the Russian military base.
"If they want to expel Armenia from the CSTO, please, let them expel. If they do not want to expel, let them not expel," he said.
The Prime Minister compared this situation to the Armenian fairy tale "The Death of Kikos." In this fairy tale, a family mourns in advance, imagining that an unborn child will fall from a tree and die tomorrow. Pashinyan noted that the same kind of groundless anxiety is expected from Armenia. Speaking about the Russian military base, Pashinyan said that Armenia has never raised the issue of withdrawing this base. He revealed that Russia itself brought up this issue.