Speaker: US Sanctions Not to Prevent Armenia from Purchasing Gas from Iran
Armenian Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan blasted the US sanctions on Iran and pressures on other states to stop cooperation with the country, saying that his country cannot halt buying gas from Tehran.
"Armenia cannot pay such a price,” Mirzoyan said during a recent visit to the US.
“We don’t want the United States to put pressure on Armenia for joining in its Iran sanctions agenda,” he added.
The comments come as Armenia heavily depends on Iran for energy and trade as the Southern neighbor has served as one of Armenia’s two conduits to the outside world since borders to Azerbaijan and Turkey were closed.
"I informed American partners that our economy is suffering losses due to the sanctions against Iran and that we cannot stop buying Iranian gas," Mirzoyan wrote on his Facebook page following a speech in Washington.
Senior Armenian authorities visiting Tehran last week said that their government is seeking to expand a barter arrangement involving Iran’s gas and Armenia’s electricity.
That comes as Washington has repeatedly asked Armenia to cut business with Iran. US National Security Adviser John Bolton warned authorities in Yerevan during an October visit to the city that traffic through the Armenian-Iranian border will become a “significant issue” for Washington.
Bolton said at the time that the US government was planning to enforce the sanctions against Iran “very vigorously”.
Also, on Wednesday, Head of Iran-Armenia Joint Chamber of Commerce Hervic Yarijanyan said that Yerevan was working on plans to establish new trade relations with Tehran based on national currencies.
Yarijanyan said the officials were looking for trade in their national currencies and had proposed establishment of a credit institution outside the banking system to the president of Armenia.
Referring to his recent meeting with Armenian President Armen Sarkisian in a news conference on Tuesday, Yarijanyan pointed to economic relations between the two countries, and said, "The President of the country has a positive view of Iran and calls for increased mutual investment between the two countries."
He added that dispatching delegations, creating exhibitions, and maximizing the capacity of the two countries are among the intended programs.
"We are looking for trade in the two countries' national currencies which are rial and dram," Yarijanyan said in response to a question on banking relations between the two countries. "We have proposed the establishment of a credit institution outside the system of bank rules to the President of the country, to cover the country."
source: Farsnews
Top News
Six last month
Iran Alloy Steel Company intends to purchase 12 tons of ferrotungsten through public tender
Iran Alloy Steel Company intends to purchase 150 tons of Low-Carbon Ferro Manganese through public tender
Gold price faces worst week since 2021 as Fed signals no rate-cut rush
Gold loses some luster after Trump’s decisive win
Iron ore price flirts with key $100/t level on firm demand, China stimulus hopes
Hedge funds slash bullish wagers on gold over Trump election win
Resolute Mining says it will pay Mali $160 million in tax dispute
Families gather at South African mine shaft where hundreds are feared stuck underground
Higher silver supply to reduce global deficit by 4% in 2024
BHP to spend up to $14 billion on Chilean copper expansion
Chile’s rare salt flat fish faces threat from lithium mining project
British Columbia creates new mining ministry to tackle critical minerals amid doubts over capacity
China’s germanium, gallium ban could cost the US $3.4 billion
South Africa police standoff with illegal gold miners escalates
Iran Alloy Steel Company intends to purchase 150 tons of Low-Carbon Ferro Manganese through public tender
Iran Alloy Steel Company intends to purchase 12 tons of ferrotungsten through public tender
Iron ore price flirts with key $100/t level on firm demand, China stimulus hopes
Newmont sells Ontario gold mine to Orla for $850 million
BHP warns Australian mining not ready for low-cost competitors
Iran Alloy Steel Company intends to purchase 12 tons of ferrotungsten through public tender
Iran Alloy Steel Company intends to purchase 150 tons of Low-Carbon Ferro Manganese through public tender
Chile’s rare salt flat fish faces threat from lithium mining project
British Columbia creates new mining ministry to tackle critical minerals amid doubts over capacity
Newmont sells Ontario gold mine to Orla for $850 million
BHP warns Australian mining not ready for low-cost competitors
Resolute Mining says it will pay Mali $160 million in tax dispute
Trump chooses oil fracking boss as energy secretary
Gold loses some luster after Trump’s decisive win
