Author: Emil Lazarian

Russia has threatened to revoke preferential supply agreements with Armenia covering gas, oil products and rough diamonds in response to Yerevan’s increasingly close ties with the European Union, the Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Wednesday.

The report comes just weeks ahead of parliamentary elections in Armenia on June 7. The South Caucasus country has traditionally been a Moscow ally and was part of the Soviet Union until 1991.

“The ongoing practical steps to deepen Armenia’s interaction with the European Union and the Armenian government’s declared aspiration to join the EU threaten the preservation and development of the fundamentally high level of Russian-Armenian trade, economic, and investment cooperation,” the newspaper reported, citing a letter from Russia’s Energy Ministry to Armenia’s Infrastructure Ministry.

According to the report, the letter warned that existing contracts could be terminated.

While the Armenian government denied the contents of the letter, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova confirmed that such a document existed.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said discounts granted to Armenia were at Russia’s expense and questioned whether Armenia could expect similar benefits from eventual EU membership.

Under a 2013 agreement, Armenia receives key raw materials from Russia free of tariffs and remains heavily dependent on Russian gas supplies.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said Armenia could increase gas imports from Iran if necessary, although the capacity of the existing pipeline is limited.

Russia also recently suspended imports of several Armenian food products, officially citing quality concerns.

Pashinyan is facing mounting domestic pressure following Armenia’s defeat in the conflict with neighbouring Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, which triggered the mass displacement of Armenians from the region in 2023

Armenia recently pledged to work more closely with the EU on security, defence, energy, transport and the digital economy at a recent summit in Yerevan.

Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin clashed recently over political freedoms, with Putin alleging that Armenia’s pro-Russian opposition was being suppressed, while Pashinyan responded that no one in Armenia was imprisoned for their political views.

By PanARMENIAN

Armenia and the United States initialed Monday a framework agreement on strategic cooperation related to TRIPP. The documents were signed by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Armenia and the United States published the framework agreement on the TRIPP initiative, which creates a joint development company and the implementation of road, railway, energy, and other infrastructure projects across Armenian territory.

The document states that on August 8, 2025, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a joint declaration in Washington in the presence of the U.S. president aimed at promoting lasting peace in the South Caucasus.

According to the agreement, the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity project, or TRIPP, is intended to promote regional peace, stability, prosperity and integration, while opening new markets for Armenia and the United States and creating economic benefits for Armenian companies involved in construction and operations.

The agreement emphasizes that Armenia retains full sovereignty, territorial integrity and jurisdiction over all TRIPP implementation zones on its sovereign territory. It also states that the project aims to establish uninterrupted multimodal transit connectivity through Armenia while linking mainland Azerbaijan with the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and serving as a key segment of the Trans-Caspian trade corridor.

Under Article 3, the parties intend to establish a joint venture called the TRIPP Development Company. A U.S.-based entity created under Delaware law and fully owned by the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation would hold a controlling 74% stake, while Armenia would hold 26%.

The agreement states that after the expiration of the initial 49-year term, the shareholders may mutually agree to extend the arrangement for another 50 years. In that case, Armenia’s stake in the company would increase to 49%.

The document also outlines the establishment of special-purpose subsidiaries responsible for separate TRIPP projects, including railways, highways, oil and gas pipelines, fiber-optic infrastructure and energy projects.

Armenia agreed to introduce exceptions to domestic legislation on joint-stock companies, procurement and public-private partnerships in order to support the activities of the TRIPP Development Company and its subsidiaries.

The framework agreement provides that Armenia will grant the TRIPP Development Company exclusive land use and development rights for 49 years in implementation zones designated for the projects. Those rights would be transferable to the company’s subsidiaries.

The document further states that Armenia retains full authority over border security, customs operations and emergency response within its sovereign territory. Armenia will also maintain physical presence at all border checkpoints and continue to oversee customs, migration, taxation and state administration functions.

The agreement says Armenia will seek to modernize and optimize customs and border control procedures through digital tools and may implement a “front office-back office” operational model for customs and migration procedures related to TRIPP projects.