Russia warns Armenia over EU embrace

Says Armenia could lose cheap gas if it turns away from Moscow

MOSCOW:

The Kremlin said on Monday Armenia could lose the "very attractive" price it pays for Russian gas if it turned away from integration with Russia.

Armenia is a member of a Russian-led economic union and heavily dependent on Russia for energy supplies, but in recent years it has sought deeper ties with the European Union, including adopting a law last year to launch its accession process to the bloc.

"There is a very, very attractive and more than preferential price for Russian gas," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, when asked about relations with Armenia.

"But, of course, such terms are not available to participants in other integration frameworks. There, the pricing structure is entirely different. It is market-based."

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said Armenia had no interest in severing political and economic ties with Russia.

"We want and will strive to preserve and deepen our normal relations," Russian news agency Interfax quoted him as telling reporters in Yerevan on Monday.