Allied relations must be reflected in all sectors: Russian FM on gas prices for Armenia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaking at online round table discussion today said that when the gas price for Armenia and Belarus was set lower than the market one, all perceived it for granted.

“And no one said that it was politics. Everyone was saying that it should be so,” Lavrov said.

“I think that allies must by all means receive economic privileges. But when the price have gone there where it is now, there are some contract commitments. I am convinced that in the process of reviewing the applications, and we received them from our Belarus and Armenian friends, our allied relations will be taken into consideration. But it is wrong to remember about it only when the situation becomes diametrically opposed to the one existing yet 3-4 years ago,” Russian FM said.

Referring to Armenia, he said one of the problems that is not being settled for already few years is the tariff inside the country which complicates preferential pricing approaches.

“If to speak about allied relations, they must be reflected in all sectors, if to speak about economy, we look forward to regulation of the judicial proceedings that started in Armenia two years ago against our joint enterprises, including South-Caucasian railways, without any attempts to inject things not appropriate to relations between the allies,” Lavrov said.

“I am speaking very frankly about it as we have few complicated situations in which our Russian companies appeared. I hope we will solve all these issues amicably,” he said.

Russian top diplomat also said that at the recent phone conversation between Putin and Pashinyan, the two leaders stressed that “they see ways to development of allied and strategic partnership, and I may convince that all the issues will be settled in accordance with it by both parties.”