Armenia Wants To Settle Russian Gas Price Issue Until Year End - Prime Minister

Yerevan wants to reach an agreement with Russian energy giant Gazprom on gas price until the end of the year because the issue concerns not only Armenia itself but also the effectiveness of the common market agreement within the Eurasian Economic Union, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Friday

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2019) Yerevan wants to reach an agreement with Russian energy giant Gazprom on gas price until the end of the year because the issue concerns not only Armenia itself but also the effectiveness of the common market agreement within the Eurasian Economic Union, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Friday.

"I would like to resolve two issues [with Russia] before the end of the year. One of them is the price for gas that we receive from Russia, as well as a number of other issues, including defense industry cooperation," Pashinyan said at a meeting with Russian reporters.

The prime minister stressed that the issue was not just about gas prices themselves but it was also related to the effectiveness of the Eurasian Economic Union, whose members had agreed to a common energy market.

"If there are different prices for energy sources, we will not have a common market. There must be undiscriminating prices. [Our] Russian counterparts do not deny the possibility of such a scenario, and we hope that these consultations will be effective," Pashinyan said.

The head of the Armenian government also noted that relations with Russia were of particular strategic importance to Yerevan.

Starting from January 1, 2019, Gazprom started charging Armenia $165 for 1,000 cubic meters (over 35,000 cubic feet) of gas, instead of $150, after the expiration of the 2014-2018 gas contract.

Under existing arrangements, gas prices for Armenia will be revised each year, but Yerevan wants the prices to be fixed for an at least five year period.