The Armenian authorities are willing to buy gas from Azerbaijan, Turkey, and Iran in order to diversify their imports and not rely solely on Russia, announced on Wednesday the president of the Security Council of Armenia, Alen Simonian, reports EFE, quoted by Agerpres.
“We want to buy gas from wherever possible. If Russia offers, we buy from Russia, if Azerbaijan supplies, we buy from Azerbaijan, if Iran does it, we buy from Iran and if Turkey can, we buy from them too. And all this at the same time,” he said.
Simonian added that Yerevan remains firmly determined in its intention to diversify its trade relations and does not plan to depend on a single country, no matter which one it is. “In all aspects related to economic security, Armenia has chosen and will continue to choose to have alternatives and a balance,” he insisted.
These statements come shortly after Gazprom Armenia, a subsidiary of the Russian giant Gazprom, announced the temporary interruption of gas supply to the Caucasian country for technical reasons. Gazprom’s decision comes just a few days after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan criticized Russian gas prices and announced that he would seek alternatives.
“Gas in Armenia is not cheap,” said Prime Minister Pashinyan, noting that Gazprom Armenia has large profits, and “the increase in price from the border to the consumer is the highest compared to other countries.”
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