Maria Zakharova: "Hello again?" or why scare a hedgehog with a naked  a...

ArmInfo. With laughter and the remark "hello again?", Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova  responded to a request to comment on Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan's statement that if Russia raises the price of gas supplied to Armenia, Armenia will withdraw from the CSTO and the EAEU in response.

As noted by Zakharova, this situation is somewhat similar to the same  story about "threatening a hedgehog by exposing its abilities." "I  don't want to comment seriously on the statements of emotional  politicians, who have made so many controversial remarks, especially  regarding the CSTO: we've heard so much," she noted. Zakharova  recalled the Armenian leadership's had previously expressed opinion  that it wasn't Armenia  leaving or potentially  leaving the CSTO, but  rather the CSTO leaving Armenia. "I don't know whether this process  is over or still in full swing, so why dwell  on it, why evaluate  these emotional statements? I think it's the citizens of Armenia who  should comment on this first and foremost, because we're talking  about the people who govern the citizens of Armenia and are shaping  the future of the citizens of Armenia. Therefore, we should ask the  citizens of the country how they feel about such statements,"  Zakharova said.

At the same time, Zakharova noted that she also wanted to address  something else, and say it seriously:  "The topic of gas supplies was  discussed during the meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin  and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow on April 1.  Specific figures were cited: Armenia receives Russian gas for  $177.50, while in Europe the price can reach $600. This example isn't  just an emotional response; it's a fact. There's no speculation here;  these are figures supported by objective data.  It's the Armenian  leadership's responsibility to think about their country's energy  security, and this is one of the responsibilities of any state's  leadership. This is especially true given the current turmoil in gas  markets due to the escalating situation in the Middle East.  Currently, every country and responsible politicians are focused  solely on avoiding the terrible turbulence, let alone instability,  that is being observed in energy markets due to the unprovoked and  baseless aggression of the US and Israel against Iran."

Regarding the EAEU, Zakharova also cited objective data showing that  Armenia's accession to the EAEU in 2025, as acknowledged by Armenian  economists, is the foundation of the country's economic well-being.   She cited another non-emotional example: according to Armenian  statistics, over the past 10 years, Armenia's GDP has nearly tripled,  from $10.5 billion to $29.3 billion. Concluding her answer with  another reference to the CSTO, Zakharova noted that the CSTO is the  key to ensuring Armenia's security, as well as that of other members  of the organization. She recalled that Armenia's membership in the  organization is currently frozen. However, this choice was made by  the current Armenian authorities.