Pashinyan dismisses hypotheticals about gas hike, says no basis for Russia to raise price

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday that there are no grounds for an increase in the price of Russian gas for Armenia and dismissed hypotheticals about what the government would do if that were the case.

“[As the idiom goes], if my aunt were a man, she’d be my uncle,” Pashinyan said, dismissing the “what if” questions. “But if that’s not the case, what are those who ask that question supposed to do?”

The Prime Minister clarified that Armenia has long-term agreements with Russia, emphasizing that there is no basis for an increase in gas prices. According to him, two parties cannot interact under the assumption that one side will violate all agreements.

Nikol Pashinyan also addressed concerns raised by Armenian exporters of flowers and brandy to Russia, who have reportedly encountered difficulties in the Russian market.

“Armenia has long been prepared for all scenarios, but each case must be examined carefully and based on the facts. Since 2018, I have repeatedly spoken, both publicly and privately, about the need to standardize production in the country. We have allocated millions of dollars to support the economy so that producers can standardize their products. The issues that exist, related to the modernization of the economy, we will continue to support producers on those matters, but we do not agree that technical problems should be presented differently under the guise of political influence,” Pashinyan said.