At a press briefing following a weekly cabinet session, Pashinian cited potential imports from other sources, including benefits from a possible gas pipeline through Armenia, as part of the country’s strategy.
“We will diversify [our natural gas supplies] regardless of everything. Whether it becomes more expensive or not, whatever happens, we will achieve diversification,” Pashinian told journalists.
“If there is an opportunity to bring natural gas from a second source, we will go that way. If there is an opportunity to bring it from a third source, we will go that way,” he said.
Pashinian also said Armenia could pursue a possible gas pipeline through its territory as part of the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity (TRIPP), a U.S.-backed transport project intended to link Azerbaijan with its western Nakhichevan exclave via southern Armenia. Pashinian said this could also generate transit fees for Armenia.
“We have an idea of what we need to do under all possible scenarios,” he said, responding to a question about the potential impact of a possible gas price hike on consumers.
As Armenia seeks to deepen its political and economic ties with the West, in particular with the European Union, Russia has repeatedly warned of economic consequences, including the possible end of gas supplies at a significantly discounted price.
Russia has already imposed a ban on virtually all imports of agricultural goods from Armenia, with President Vladimir Putin urging Yerevan to decide “as soon as possible” whether it wants to remain part of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union or seek membership in the EU.
The issue was discussed by Putin and Pashinian at their latest talks in Bishkek on the sidelines of a Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital. The two leaders agreed to meet again for continued discussions in Moscow at an unspecified time “in the near future.”
In a letter to the Armenian government sent in May, Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev said that Armenia’s efforts to join the European Union “do not correspond to the nature of the partnership between the governments and economic entities of our countries.” He said Moscow could therefore suspend or scrap a 2013 agreement exempting Russian natural gas, among other goods, imported by Armenia from Russian export duties.
Russia annually supplies around 2 billion cubic meters of natural gas to Armenia via Georgia at a price of $177.50 per 1,000 cubic meters at the border. These supplies account for more than 80 percent of Armenia’s annual gas imports.
Pashinian said at Friday’s press briefing that Gazprom Armenia, the Russian-owned operator of Armenia’s gas distribution network, is a profit-making company. He also argued that despite the discounted price at the border, natural gas is supplied to end consumers in Armenia at a price that can in no way be considered low by comparison with other countries.
In July, Armenia’s Public Services Regulatory Commission capped the retail price of Russian gas for domestic consumers at up to 148 drams (40 U.S. cents) per cubic meter through the end of 2026.
Pashinian also said that if Russia increases gas prices, the Armenia government would consider “what other prices we could raise or whether services that are currently provided free of charge could be made subject to fees.” He did not elaborate.
“Our political decision is to strengthen our independence and our statehood. The rest are day-to-day issues, and specific situations can have specific responses,” the Armenian premier said.
Armenia has also sought to increase gas supplies from Iran. In July, Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Minister Davit Khudatian said Yerevan was keen to significantly increase Iranian gas imports and that the two countries had agreed to establish a joint task force to examine ways of expanding energy ties.
Armenia imported less than 500 million cubic meters of Iranian gas in 2025.