Moscow Warns Armenia: Ditching Russian Gas Would Be 'Painful'

Russian Deputy Secretary of Security Council Alexei Shevtsov stated that Armenia has no viable alternatives to cheap natural gas supplied by Russia. He made this comment in response to Armenia's plans to diversify energy imports.

Armenia imported 2.2 billion cubic meters of Russian gas last year, with the Iranian gas being twice as expensive at $177.5 per thousand cubic meters. Shevtsov claimed that Yerevan will risk U.S. economic sanctions if it manages to significantly boost Iranian gas supplies.

The Russian official also argued that Turkey itself is a large-scale importer of gas and that gas imports from Azerbaijan would require the construction of a new pipeline. He stated that the market price of gas in Europe is around $900 per thousand cubic meters, which is $720 more than the current Russian price.

Sherstov said that abandoning Russian 'blue fuel' would be far more painful for Armenia than it has been for Germany or other European countries. He added that at these rates, Armenia would have to pay nearly $1.58 billion more annually for gas alone.