Pashinyan announced Yerevan’s desire to avoid Western sanctions for cooperation with Russia

The threat of falling under the sanctions of Western countries is a red line for Armenia in relations with Russia. Such a statement did Prime Minister of the Republic Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with the Czech edition of Respekt.

“Where there is an opportunity, we will gladly meet Russian demand. But sanctions are a red line. And we say this clearly to the Russians: we do not want to harm you, but we ourselves cannot afford to fall under sanctions, ”he explained.

The prime minister added that due to the situation in Ukraine, the logistics chains of cargo transportation were also disrupted. Many goods that were previously delivered directly to Russia now go through Armenia, Kazakhstan and other countries, he noted.

As an example, Pashinyan cited drinks that were not affected by the sanctions. According to him, European carriers refuse to cooperate with Russia, in connection with this, new routes appear, including through Armenia. Pashinyan stressed that Armenia strives to pursue a transparent policy regarding sanctioned goods.

In 2022, trade between Russia and Armenia doubled to $5.3 billion, while exports to Russia quadrupled to $2.5 billion. In an interview with Vedomosti, Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan declaredthat the republic is in constant contact with Western countries and “in case of questions”, Yerevan provides evidence that we are not reselling sanctioned products.