ArmInfo.On March 2, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, assured that Armenia does not help Russia to circumvent Western sanctions.
<As a democratic country and as a country for which transparency is very important, we have told all our Western partners and we are telling them that we are ready and transparent in this matter. Yes, the numbers are changing, but these numbers are changing all over the world, because supply chains and relationships are changing. Not only imports from the EU to Armenia have increased, but also exports from Armenia to the EU countries have increased >, the Prime Minister said, responding to a remark that Armenia's trade turnover with Russia has increased, which may be part of the circumvention of sanctions against the Russian Federation. He stressed that Armenia is interested in establishing relations with the EU.
Referring to the rumors regarding the circumvention of sanctions, Pashinyan stressed: "They are nothing more than mere rumors. The reality is just the opposite. Last spring, a western owner took possession of an aircraft used by one of the Russian airlines from Armenia. And this, I think, is the most direct and clear example when we have shown that, respecting all our relations, all our partners, the legality of actions and activities is of fundamental importance to us."
Pashinyan does not think that a country where such a thing has happened can be blamed for any other shady circumstances. On the other hand, the Prime Minister emphasized that they will follow the events with all their attention to help the private sector not to engage in such activities that could spoil Armenia's relations with any partner.