Armenia has started paying for Russian natural gas in rubles, the country’s Economy Minister Vagan Kerobyan told RBC. “We need to switch to settlements in national currencies. There is some progress in this direction on the Russian side,” he added.
“As far as I know, the last few payments were in rubles at the appropriate rate,” the minister said in an interview with RBC. According to Kerobyan, gas prices are set in dollars, and payments are made in rubles.
“Indeed, the contract with Gazprom for the supply of natural gas to Armenia for several years allows payment for gas in rubles, and this opportunity is now being used,” Gazprom representative Sergey Kupriyanov confirmed to RBC.
Gazprom is the sole supplier of natural gas to Armenia. The operator of the Armenian gas transmission system is Gazprom Armenia, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Gazprom concern.
The price of Russian gas for Armenia is now $165 per 1,000 cubic meters, while its price has been 8-10 times higher on European stock exchanges in recent months.
Last year, Armenia bought natural gas from Russia for $414 million and oil products for about $270 million.