It is illogical to threaten Armenia, for example, with higher gas prices, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said in response to statements coming from Russia.
He stressed that there was an answer to such threats: “We will have much more money so that it will not seem expensive to us”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had stated that the preferential gas price could become market-based if Yerevan decided to leave the Eurasian Economic Union. Russian State Duma Security and Anti-Corruption Committee Deputy Chairman Andrey Lugovoy had proposed reconsidering Russia’s gas-related privileges granted to Armenia.
“The people of Armenia must have an alternative – whether to be part of the EAEU or part of the European Union. I am not the one who will decide that – you will decide it. My task is for you to have alternatives, and you do have alternatives. Our partners who respond to this with threats, even hidden ones, are acting against themselves, because they should make proposals to the Armenian people and say, “we will do this good thing and that good thing”. Instead, they are saying, “we will do this bad thing”,” Pashinyan said.
Emphasizing that Armenia was now becoming a crossroads of peace, the prime minister added: “That means Armenia will not be a country of thousands or millions – Armenia will become a country of billions and trillions.”
Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure said it had not received any official notification from Moscow regarding the possible cancellation of agreements.
The ministry stated that Armenia had not received any letter or document from Russia threatening cancellation of agreements on fuel and rough diamond supplies. (PanARMENIAN)