Armenia will not be able to receive gas at its current price upon joining the EU: head of Russia’s Ministry of Energy

Russia will not be able to continue supplying Armenia with gas and petroleum products at current prices if the country joins the EU. Sergey Tsivilev, head of Russia’s Ministry of Energy, told this to journalists.

“Of course, in Europe the price of the same gas is many times higher. So the essence of this letter is that once the law is passed, there will of course be a referendum afterwards. And for us, the Armenian people are brotherly people. That is why I wrote to my counterpart, so that everyone would know in advance how events will unfold going forward. That if they move from the Eurasian Economic Union to the EU, we will not be able to supply them at the price at which we currently supply them,” Tsivilev said.

“I believe that when the Armenian people make this decision, they must understand these economic realities,” the head of Russia’s Ministry of Energy added, stressing that this was the sole purpose of the letter, since Russia has always regarded the Armenian people as brotherly people.

He also reported that no response had yet been received from Armenia to the letter sent by Russia’s energy minister to the RA’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure regarding the possible denunciation of agreements on the supply of gas, petroleum products, and diamonds in the event that Armenia’s EU accession process continues.

“There has been no response yet. But in my view, the position set out in the letter is very clear. We are all operating within the framework of Eurasian Economic Cooperation. These relationships with all the states have been built up over many years. It is no secret to anyone that […] oil and gas are supplied to them at quite favorable prices,” he said in response to the relevant question.

Tsivilev added that the price of the same gas in Europe is many times higher.