Gazprom announced the resumption of supplies to Armenia against the backdrop of rhetoric about purchasing fuel from other countries.
The supply of natural gas to Armenia from the Russian Federation has resumed after a 10-day repair on the gas pipeline. Russian gas is significantly cheaper for Armenia than purchasing fuel from other countries, said the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation in response to a statement by an Armenian politician that the country would buy gas "from everywhere it is possible."
As reported by "Caucasian Knot", the Russian military base did not fulfill the mission for which it was placed in the country. Armenia may increase the fee for the placement of the base in Gyumri if Russian gas prices rise, said the chairman of the parliamentary commission on defense and security, Vilen Gabrielyan. If Russia decides to withdraw the 102nd military base, Armenia will not object, as its presence is not vital, said Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, commenting on the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin that Russia is ready to leave the Armenian Gyumri if Yerevan believes that the Russian military base is not needed there. In the event of the withdrawal of the Russian military base located in Gyumri, Armenia will face security and border protection issues and the collapse of the established economic model in Gyumri, where the military base provides about 15,000 jobs, Russian politicians and representatives of Armenian opposition parties believe.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, during negotiations with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the SCO summit in Kyrgyzstan, called on the Armenian prime minister to determine as soon as possible the issue of Armenia's accession to the EU. Pashinyan responded that the right moment for this has not yet arrived.
"Since September 25, the supply of natural gas to Armenia has resumed through the main gas pipeline 'North Caucasus - Transcaucasia'. The transportation of gas was temporarily suspended from September 15 due to a series of scheduled preventive and repair works on the specified gas pipeline on the territory of the Russian Federation," reports the company "Gazprom-Armenia."
Russian gas is significantly cheaper for Armenia than purchasing fuel from other countries. This was stated by the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, Alexey Shevtsov.
The Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation was asked to comment on the statement of the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, that the country would buy gas "from everywhere it is possible" - from Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran. Shevtsov provided calculations on how much gas supplies from other countries would cost Yerevan.
"In general, in any of the listed options, gas will be significantly more expensive than that purchased in Russia on preferential terms, thanks to which Armenia has been able to ensure stability and economic growth in recent years. At the same time, diversifying its sources will entail additional associated costs," TASS quotes him.
Shevtsov reminded that as of 2025, more than 2.2 billion cubic meters of gas have been supplied from Russia - this is about 83% of all gas supplies to Armenia and 100% of what goes to household consumers - the population and industry.
Considering the possibility of gas supplies to Armenia from the listed countries, the Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation pointed out that Turkey itself imports more than 50 billion cubic meters of gas per year, including from Azerbaijan, Iran, and Russia. "It is clear that it does not have excess gas. And there is also no infrastructure for gas supplies to Armenia," he wrote.
Shevtsov noted that Armenia has a barter agreement with Iran "gas in exchange for electricity," under which more than 400 million cubic meters are supplied annually. At the same time, he explained that Iranian gas is used exclusively for electricity production.
"The expansion of the barter scheme is possible provided that an additional power line is built from Armenia to Iran, especially since the capacity of the existing gas pipelines allows it. However, if Yerevan starts purchasing gas for commercial use, that is, will supply it to household consumers or industry, this will automatically bring Armenia under Washington's sanctions, especially considering the current political situation," he emphasized.
Shevtsov added that the Security Council of the Russian Federation has noted recent statements by Armenian and Azerbaijani officials about the possibilities of gas supplies from Azerbaijan to Armenia. "We welcome the fact of the resumption of Armenian-Azerbaijani cooperation in the energy sector, which may indicate a positive step towards restoring peaceful life in the region. Especially since Baku sent diesel fuel and gasoline to Armenia after a long break," he stated.
An Armenian publication reported the possibility of stopping gas supplies from Russia
Russia may stop gas supplies to Armenia from November 1 if Yerevan does not meet a number of political demands from Moscow, the Armenian newspaper "Graparak" reported, citing its source.
According to the publication, Moscow may refer to a major "accident" or force majeure, after which supplies of Russian gas will not be resumed.
Among the conditions that the Russian side may present to Yerevan are the refusal to discuss the future of the Russian military base in Gyumri and the cessation of actions against companies with Russian capital and criminal prosecution of politicians oriented towards Russia. Also, Moscow may allegedly demand the appointment of a vice-premier whose candidacy will be acceptable to the Kremlin. A separate item, according to the newspaper, may be the issue of Armenia's foreign policy choice. Yerevan is allegedly required to either abandon the law to launch the process of European integration or set a date for a referendum on the country's accession to the European Union.