You're reading: Pashinyan hopes for success of talks on price of gas for Armenia

YEREVAN – Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan hopes that talks between Moscow and Yerevan regarding the price of Russian gas, which is to be supplied to the country following the expiry of the current gas contract in late 2018, would be successful.

“I hope talks would be successful. I don’t want to make any forecasts,” Pashinyan told reporters on Dec. 22.

At the same time, he said he is unaware about a possible hike in tariffs for Armenia.

The Armenian government earlier denied media reports that Russian Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak had allegedly informed Yerevan that the hike of the price of Russian gas.

There have been Armenian media reports that Kozak informed the Armenian government that the price of gas for Armenia will rise from $150 to $215 per 1,000 cubic meters in 2019.

It has been reported earlier that Armenia and Russia were continuing negotiations on the price of natural gas after the current contract expires at the end of the year.

Armenia’s acting Energy Infrastructure and Natural Resource Minister Garegin Baghramyan told reporters that the price of the Russian gas supplied to Armenia could decrease from $150 to $140 per 1,000 cubic meters.

In 2016, Gazprom CEO Alexei Miller and General Director of Gazprom Armenia Vardan Atutyunyan signed an annex to the contract for the supply of natural gas to Armenia in 2014-2018. Russia reduced the price from $165 to $150 per 1,000 cubic meters in April 2016.

Gazprom Armenia, a 100 percent subsidiary of Russia’s Gazprom, is the only supplier of natural gas in the Armenian market.