Overchuk says Armenia will rely on Russian gas

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia will never have gas supplies from a source other than Russia, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk has said, adding that a very difficult situation could emerge in the country’s gas sector.

“There will be a very difficult situation in Armenia, and we do not want that,” he said, according to TASS.

He added that Russian officials are very familiar with the current state of the gas market.

“The only question is where Armenia will receive Russian gas from and which intermediaries it will pay for it,” he said.

The Russian deputy prime minister also stressed that Europe continues to receive Russian gas.

“Therefore, they simply need to look at a map. They should see which pipelines are still operating there even now, and they will immediately understand from whom they will receive Russian gas. Of course, this will already take into account the 30% export duty, the fact that it will be sold at market prices, and the reality that intermediaries will also want their share of the revenue,” Overchuk noted.

In recent days, various Russian officials have also stated that if Armenia continues moving toward the European Union, it could lose the opportunity to purchase Russian gas on preferential terms.