Russia is threatening to terminate a 2013 agreement that established a duty-free regime for supplies of gas, petroleum products and diamonds to Armenia. This is stated in a Kommersant publication, which cites a letter from Russian Energy Minister Sergey Tsivilyov to Armenia’s Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure.
“The continuing practical steps to deepen Armenia’s engagement with the European Union and the Armenian government’s declared intention to join the EU jeopardise the preservation and further development of the fundamentally high level of Russian-Armenian trade, economic and investment cooperation, one of the foundations of which is bilateral international agreements,” the publication quotes from the letter.
The letter also states that Armenia’s attempts to join the EU “do not correspond to the nature of the partnership built over decades on the basis of respect and mutual benefit between the governments and business entities of our countries, nor to the repeated practical actions undertaken by the Russian Federation to meet Armenia’s critically important needs on preferential terms.”
Russian and Armenian authorities did not provide comments to Kommersant for publication.
The agreement on abolishing export duties referenced in the publication was part of Armenia’s accession to the Eurasian Economic Union.
It should be noted that the publication appeared against the backdrop of the election campaign in Armenia. Parliamentary elections are scheduled to take place on June 7, 2026.
