In Armenia, the media outlets are speculating about the price conditions under which the country will purchase Russian gas from 2019 on. The current contract with "Gazprom", according to which the gas price is only $ 150 per cubic meter, expires on December 31, 2018. Armenia and Russia are currently negotiating new terms and conditions that will come into effect in January, if the negotiations are completed in time.
The newspaper “168 Zham”, citing its own sources, reported that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak sent a letter to his Armenian counterpart, Tigran Avinyan, stating that from 2019, the gas price for Armenia would be $ 215 USD per cubic meter. The office of Avinyan, however, said that there was no such letter. So far, no decision has been taken on the new gas price. The talks with Russian colleagues ran "in a trusting atmosphere" in which there could be no ultimatums, said a spokesman for the Armenian Vice Prime Minister.
The Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had already held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin about the price of Russian gas for Armenia at the Eurasian Economic Union Summit in St. Petersburg. "I told Putin that the reduced price of $ 150 per cubic meter applies only to the company "Gazprom-Armenia" and not to the Armenian citizens directly. We have agreed to jointly investigate the existing pricing mechanisms for the gas delivered to Armenia and the agreements affecting those supplies," Pashinyan said. Despite the fact that the gas price at the Armenian border is $ 150, it is sold to households for $ 285 per cubic meter.
The Armenian-Russian gas negotiations are taking place against the backdrop of the recent tensions between Moscow and Armenia. A cool down of bilateral relations began with the arrest of the sitting CSTO general secretary Yuriy Khachaturov in Armenia. This action was single handedly pursued by Pashinyan and led to considerable dissatisfaction within the organization, which until today could not agree on a new Secretary General. This is also due to the position of Yerevan, where they insist that the post of Secretary-General should be granted to Armenia until 2020. All other members of the CSTO are in favor of appointing a representative from Belarus as the new Secretary-General. The arrest of former President Robert Kocharian in Armenia, considered a pro-Russian politician and a friend of Vladimir Putin, also triggered negative reactions in Moscow, so that the Russian foreign minister warned against a "political vendetta". Although Kocharian was released after the first warning from Moscow, he was arrested shortly before the Armenian parliamentary elections again. Kocharian's lawyers claim that the re-arrest of their client happened under pressure from the government. But this time there was no reaction from Russia, at least no public one.
Most recently, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov has caused anger in Yerevan with his statements about an allegedly planned agreement between Armenia and Russia, which should guarantee that foreign military personnel should not be allowed access to Armenian bio-laboratories. The agreement is currently being prepared by Armenia and Russia, Lavrov said. The Armenian Prime Minister responded promptly:
"There has been a lot of discussion in recent days about the Russian Foreign Minister's statement of some agreement. Such an agreement was negotiated with the former Armenian government, while our government cabinet did not discuss these issues with our Russian partners, "Nikol Pashinyan said, denying Lavrov's remarks. Pashinyan has also responded to the words of Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin, who, in reference to the recent visit of John Bolton, warned Armenia not to submit to alleged "blackmail by the US." According to Pashinyan, Armenia has an "independent foreign policy".
It is also noteworthy that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not congratulated the Armenian Prime Minister on his victory in the parliamentary elections. The Armenian media recalled in this context that the Kremlin did not hesitate with congratulations to Serzh Sargsyan in the 2017 general election when the Republican Party of Armenia won the election.
During his press conference on December 20, Vladimir Putin announced that he was expecting Nikol Pashinyan for an official visit next week. "The Armenian people are Russia's closest allies in the South Caucasus. This has developed in the course of history, and I hope it stays that way. We have to base our actions on the current situation in the world and the region as well as on our possibilities and needs. We will discuss this with Mr. Pashinyan in the near future ... ", Putin said. Nikol Pashinyan's visit to Moscow is overshadowed by the murder of an Armenian civilian allegedly perpetrated by a Russian military member of the 102nd military base in Gyumri, which intensified anti-Russian sentiment in the Caucasus republic.
Given the current problems in the Armenian-Russian relations it can be assumed that Pashinyan hardly expects a warm reception in Russia. Whether Armenia and Russia can overcome the growing mutual mistrust before the New Year and leave the burden of the differences behind them that have arisen since the Armenian "Velvet Revolution“ still remains open.
