YEREVAN, Armenia, Sept. 30 (UPI) — Though Russia and several other countries are using energy as a political tool, Armenians need to take a practical view of opening their borders, officials say.
In an interview Tuesday with the Armenian news agency A1 Plus, President of NATO Parliamentary Assembly Jose Lello said the high cost of energy and export prices for Armenia challenges conventional market conditions.
“So I think the Armenian people and Armenian authorities must look on perspectives emerging from open borders with great pragmatism,” he said.
Russian energy giant Gazprom Thursday said it would increase the price of gas exported to Armenia by 40 percent starting in April, and on Wednesday Azerbaijan, citing territorial disputes, said there are no plans to alter the route of the proposed Nabucco pipeline through Armenian territory.
Commenting on Russian aggression in the Caucasus region and its forceful moves in the energy market, Lello said Moscow should realize energy does not define geopolitical strategy, despite mounting demands for oil and gas in the region.
“Russia has to understand that life is not only energy, oil and gas,” he said.